I send my very private info to be stored on Hillary's server because it is more secure than what the government provides.
8
So many here claiming that this disaster is because the government contracted activities out. Do you know how many people work for the government that can do this work? Even our healthcare exchange software was contracted out; it didn't work, but then the company chosen had a very bad track record.
Perhaps the real question we should all be asking about all contractors that work for the government is "How does the government select contractors? What does the bidding process (if there is one) look like? What in the contract holds the contractors accountable, and fiscally responsible?"
Perhaps the real question we should all be asking about all contractors that work for the government is "How does the government select contractors? What does the bidding process (if there is one) look like? What in the contract holds the contractors accountable, and fiscally responsible?"
5
The Navy spy John Walker commented that "KMart has better security than the Navy". Looks like the NSA is in the same category.
How does somebody even get access to that much classified info, let alone get it out of the building. Where is the "nothing in, nothing out" policy? Where is the strict enforcement of access to files?
How does somebody even get access to that much classified info, let alone get it out of the building. Where is the "nothing in, nothing out" policy? Where is the strict enforcement of access to files?
1
Warren Chelsea Manning. Look at it this way. It seems Russia can hack into anything. There is only the appearance of security.
2
I had a hunch this article wouldn't mention anything about Hillary, but filled with Hillary comments. I was guilty of if myself. I've gotten so bad lately that I get more and more guilty of it every day. I'm in this basket of deplorables and I just don't know where I've lost my way buying into these conspiracy theories. I try really hard to not believe them but its like a disease where I keep falling into that trap of not realizing the Hillary Email server isn't just another one of those alt right conspiracy theories. :(
8
The GOP wants to privatize everything (national security, social security, etc.) to create new, lucrative channels of profits for corporations, which keep the GOP afloat. Doing so will be our undoing.
5
And the government worshiping liberal/progressive democrats want everything to be run by the always inefficient and usually corrupt government. In their ideal world, everyone would work for their great god government, just like in the old Soviet Union.
6
It is a close to an impossible problem, to design a system that can't be hacked, especially if there is access to the Internet (though even that can be gotten around). Let alone a system to stop the insiders from leaking, which is even harder. These are high profile because it's relatively new but it's like any other crime. The reason most crimes don't happen is because people generally behave (anyone can harm anyone else easily in this world if they really wanted to).
3
For profit firms and their employees should not be given responsibility for our national security.
Having said that, in this specific case, the second time around for BAH absolutely means that they are not vetting their employees thoroughly. It's time that the NSA looked hard at the company's MO on how security clearances are given, and how often they are reviewed and renewed. People could change as their circumstances change, and so, it is imperative that the review and renewal of the clearance is periodically done.
Having said that, in this specific case, the second time around for BAH absolutely means that they are not vetting their employees thoroughly. It's time that the NSA looked hard at the company's MO on how security clearances are given, and how often they are reviewed and renewed. People could change as their circumstances change, and so, it is imperative that the review and renewal of the clearance is periodically done.
2
My theory is Mr. Martin was using these material to crib for his Ph.D., allowing him to present great material in class and in write ups. When you look into government and quasi-government circles you see all these people, starting from the Pentagon, with mostly unnecessary academic decorations. It works for the Brass and the Ivy league because it is for one side an opportunity to spend budget dollars they don't know what to do with, while their staff take is easy, since the government, unlike contractors can afford to give staff leave time to do this and likely count it towards their service years, and for the schools, it is of course, what they do.
Problem is this posture, from the customer, then dictates behavior on down the food chain so that government contractors like Booz Allen, and its staff would also gain by being able to present Ph.D resumes. The contractor probably pays for the cost, but will not be able to afford giving people time that is billable off to pursue. And so an unnecessary arms race, borne out of too much money available, goes on inside suburban DC (talk less with Russians), with the cost borne by the taxpayer. Unfortunately, some, having to juggle both acquiring the paper and working full time may cut the wrong corners in that chase and get into trouble...
Problem is this posture, from the customer, then dictates behavior on down the food chain so that government contractors like Booz Allen, and its staff would also gain by being able to present Ph.D resumes. The contractor probably pays for the cost, but will not be able to afford giving people time that is billable off to pursue. And so an unnecessary arms race, borne out of too much money available, goes on inside suburban DC (talk less with Russians), with the cost borne by the taxpayer. Unfortunately, some, having to juggle both acquiring the paper and working full time may cut the wrong corners in that chase and get into trouble...
4
It is frightening that our system of law and justice has so deteriorated, that a man can be taken away in August and no one hears anything from him until October.
What about habeus corpus.
Those who violate law and Constitution in the US are traitors, should be charged and prosecuted.
If someone sold classified materials they too should be charged and prosecuted.
But the manner of arrest and detention in this case is per se illegal and unconstitutional.
Why is DOJ standing for this?
What about habeus corpus.
Those who violate law and Constitution in the US are traitors, should be charged and prosecuted.
If someone sold classified materials they too should be charged and prosecuted.
But the manner of arrest and detention in this case is per se illegal and unconstitutional.
Why is DOJ standing for this?
10
Habeus corpus? Remember the "Patriot" Act? The one no one read?
The DOJ has been asleep for a few years.
The DOJ has been asleep for a few years.
4
People remember that corporations have no loyalty or sense of patriotism, they are proxies of foreign governments to destabilize the United States for their example. Why else would we send our jobs overseas, poison our water, cause earthquakes, install data servers from a country that regularly hacks Outsourcing period has been a disaster, whether its for profit prisons, charter schools, and now defense contractors. By claiming to save money in the short term (to the benefit of connected fat cat CEO's) we destroy ourselves in the long run.
2
Booz Allen got the job thru Cheney in the early 2000s and they don't pick as well the people who should be working in this field, certainly not as well as NSA. And you know management just wants the checks to continue. GET RID OF THE CONTRACTORS, NOW. I worked with NSA while in the Army back in the 60s/70s and we all had an understanding of the importance. Contractors are hired guns, great for the CIA, deadly for NSA and keeping secrets.
3
Have we confirmed that the code was only intended for use again geopolitical foes? This article barely focuses on that key point. The NSA and CIA have been spying on our allies in the EU & NATO for years now, so if this code was ever used against them, or intended for use against them, that's a serious issue.
That'd potentially make this guy a whistleblower. It's an incredibly important distinction the NYT needs to be making here. I don't need a profile on Martin. I need facts on his actions, his intent, and details on exactly what he found.
That'd potentially make this guy a whistleblower. It's an incredibly important distinction the NYT needs to be making here. I don't need a profile on Martin. I need facts on his actions, his intent, and details on exactly what he found.
2
If he did this despite the personal risks he took and will now have to endure imprisonment, torture and worse at the hands of our overlords in order to further expose government malfeasance and totalitarianism, then he is another Great American Hero like Snowden.
4
Disrobe the NSA, and then dismantle it.
whoops, now I'm probably highlighted on a server somewhere.
whoops, now I'm probably highlighted on a server somewhere.
5
Unauthorized removal of classified documents , originally lying about it - sound familiar? Of course Hillary didn't have a SWAT team at her door and languish in prison for two months; she was politely interviewed by the FBI but only after the AG was caught having an indiscrete meeting with Bill.
Oh one more big difference, no one can show this guy disclosed the secret files but the FBI thinks it probable that Hillary's were hacked by unfriendly countries. Equal justice for all - in a pig's ear!
Oh one more big difference, no one can show this guy disclosed the secret files but the FBI thinks it probable that Hillary's were hacked by unfriendly countries. Equal justice for all - in a pig's ear!
9
It does not add up:
1. it is odd how the man was secretly arrested (but it was not all that secret because the govt told the press to tell everyone immediately afterwards)
2. then the govt officially says it is not sure what the man did or did not do. Why say that at all?
3. now little bits of info are being released (officially sanctioned to be released) which are trying very hard to say that the man was harmless but mentally ill.
1. The public is not getting the real story.
2. The govt wants everyone in all countries to know that THEY know about Mr Martin.
They are putting it out there to find something else or somebody and Martin is bait.
1. it is odd how the man was secretly arrested (but it was not all that secret because the govt told the press to tell everyone immediately afterwards)
2. then the govt officially says it is not sure what the man did or did not do. Why say that at all?
3. now little bits of info are being released (officially sanctioned to be released) which are trying very hard to say that the man was harmless but mentally ill.
1. The public is not getting the real story.
2. The govt wants everyone in all countries to know that THEY know about Mr Martin.
They are putting it out there to find something else or somebody and Martin is bait.
1
#1 for me: The amount of information in this article without a single mention of Hillary clinton and her contractors.
I really just don't understand how terribly different the two scenarios are when limiting the construct of the argument to the information and who it was exposed to.
I really just don't understand how terribly different the two scenarios are when limiting the construct of the argument to the information and who it was exposed to.
3
Reading this article, it occurs to me Mr. Martin may be suffering some sort of mental defect or psychological problem. He was described both as a man who loves his country and "a hoarder." That could shed light on why he decided to steal this much sensitive information and so many devices. Nonetheless, he appears to be guilty of doing these things. If that proves to be the case, I believe he, like Mr. Snowdon, needs to suffer the consequences of his actions. A low-level employee or individual citizen should not have the prerogative to decide what's best for the national security of the United States.
I work for a large organization that uses Booz Allen services; my observation is they're EVERYWHERE, and they have access to the most sensitive information my organization owns.
I personally think it's crazy and highly risky to give a contractor so much access to sensitive information. The standard benchmark is, an organization staffs up for core functions and engages contractors for temporary or non-core functions. In an intelligence agency like the NSA, I have to imagine the kind of intensive programming, code development and data management being performed by Mr. Martin should be considered core functions. If so, why did NSA hire Booz Allen?
My observation is, Booz Allen seems to have tentacles into every branch of government. That's something that gives me chills, frankly, and it should concern everyone.
I work for a large organization that uses Booz Allen services; my observation is they're EVERYWHERE, and they have access to the most sensitive information my organization owns.
I personally think it's crazy and highly risky to give a contractor so much access to sensitive information. The standard benchmark is, an organization staffs up for core functions and engages contractors for temporary or non-core functions. In an intelligence agency like the NSA, I have to imagine the kind of intensive programming, code development and data management being performed by Mr. Martin should be considered core functions. If so, why did NSA hire Booz Allen?
My observation is, Booz Allen seems to have tentacles into every branch of government. That's something that gives me chills, frankly, and it should concern everyone.
6
Booz Allen IS the government, who do you think works there? Folks who retire from "large organizations".
4
All I can say is that if the shadow government (whoever they are) are planning world domination and chips in everyone's body, they are succeeding. From 9/11 onward, their goal of one world government is winning. Wake up, people!
4
Edward Snowden was and is an American patriot,
Jonathan Pollard was and is an American traitor.
Who was and is Harold Martin remains to yet to be determined.
Any American President who authorizes spying on Americans without any reasonable suspicion or due process probable cause is an outlaw who should be impeached.
The failure of our national security intelligence apparatus to detect and deter these amateurs was predicted by their failure to detect and deter 19 September 11, 2001 hijackers. Robert Hansen in the FBI and Aldrich Ames in the CIA confused and controlled our covert clowns.
Jonathan Pollard was and is an American traitor.
Who was and is Harold Martin remains to yet to be determined.
Any American President who authorizes spying on Americans without any reasonable suspicion or due process probable cause is an outlaw who should be impeached.
The failure of our national security intelligence apparatus to detect and deter these amateurs was predicted by their failure to detect and deter 19 September 11, 2001 hijackers. Robert Hansen in the FBI and Aldrich Ames in the CIA confused and controlled our covert clowns.
7
Remember, the president DOES NOT control or oversee operations of our "intelligence" agencies. He/she appoints the directors of the 3 letter agencies.
That's it!
The National Security Act of 1947 created the NSA, and the subsequent CIA, NRO, DIA, etc. That law effectively removed control and oversight of those agencies from the three branches of government, a horrible legacy from which we may never recover, as it continues to this day. Of course, Congress can hold "hearings" regarding concerns and issues, but they have no control over the actions of those agencies. The GAO watches their budgets, but there again "classified" and/or "black" programs are essentially invisible. We have a problem.
That's it!
The National Security Act of 1947 created the NSA, and the subsequent CIA, NRO, DIA, etc. That law effectively removed control and oversight of those agencies from the three branches of government, a horrible legacy from which we may never recover, as it continues to this day. Of course, Congress can hold "hearings" regarding concerns and issues, but they have no control over the actions of those agencies. The GAO watches their budgets, but there again "classified" and/or "black" programs are essentially invisible. We have a problem.
3
To extend the school analogy used by a commenter before, this is the school nerd getting suspended for stuff the captain of the girls' basketball team was given a pass on.
3
Theft of important information once required on-site physical surveillance and planning. getting past guards, fences, dogs, microphones, and cameras; then into a building, a specific area of the building, a room, a vault, containers in the vault, then into what was in the containers; then it meant getting out again and having the equipment and knowledge to use what was stolen, the means and contacts to profit from it, and doing all of this without getting caught, prosecuted, convicted, and punished.
Now, physical access isn’t necessary because a computer with web access is all the hardware necessary, plus common software, knowledge, and skills. Getting caught, prosecuted, convicted, and punished are exceptional since personal data theft and identity theft have become industries, an integral component of industrial, domestic, and political espionage, investigations by mass media.
Data security was by discussed by the 9/11 Commission, and addressed in their report, but almost every domestic effort has been blocked by special interests seeking to avoid responsibility and cost.
One has only to compare our data security laws with those of France, Germany, and many others to see that we’re not really serious about this yet.
When public and private entities are held responsible for the data they possess, including our personal data, and there are suitable laws and enforcement, and fines and prison sentences, we’ll know our government is taking this seriously.
Now, physical access isn’t necessary because a computer with web access is all the hardware necessary, plus common software, knowledge, and skills. Getting caught, prosecuted, convicted, and punished are exceptional since personal data theft and identity theft have become industries, an integral component of industrial, domestic, and political espionage, investigations by mass media.
Data security was by discussed by the 9/11 Commission, and addressed in their report, but almost every domestic effort has been blocked by special interests seeking to avoid responsibility and cost.
One has only to compare our data security laws with those of France, Germany, and many others to see that we’re not really serious about this yet.
When public and private entities are held responsible for the data they possess, including our personal data, and there are suitable laws and enforcement, and fines and prison sentences, we’ll know our government is taking this seriously.
1
It is a public service to reveal to the American people the lies of their government which conceal crimes by the government or abuses of the American people, such as spying on them.
When that public service is done at considerable person risk, it is heroic to do it anyway. That is Snowden.
The reaction against Snowden is the fury of government revealed to the American people for its crimes and lies.
This is entirely different. There was no element of public service. He just took stuff for some as yet unknown private ends. What he took was not information that the American people needed to know, it was tools used in cyberwar against nation-state opponents.
This guy is just a selfish crook. Snowden is still a hero.
When that public service is done at considerable person risk, it is heroic to do it anyway. That is Snowden.
The reaction against Snowden is the fury of government revealed to the American people for its crimes and lies.
This is entirely different. There was no element of public service. He just took stuff for some as yet unknown private ends. What he took was not information that the American people needed to know, it was tools used in cyberwar against nation-state opponents.
This guy is just a selfish crook. Snowden is still a hero.
7
Well said.
2
I'm concerned that the NSA cannot be trusted to protect me from personal identity theft and my personal financial information that they have stored on their computer files.
5
I used to take these kind of things seriously, especially when Snowden exposed the. NSA prrorams. I took the entire classification program seriously and the investigation process to determine one's eligible to posses a security ckearance. But since HRC and her accomplices walked from the FBI "investigation" with hardly a slap on the wrist I no longer believe in the system. The Clinton affair shows that USG uses this system to go after people like Mr. Martin but let's high flyers like Clinton walk. I now believe the FBI let Snowden go for some strange reason. It had to have the goods on him and could have preventedhim from fleeing the countty but didn't. America has become a Wonderland in which all of us are Alice.
6
Referring to the "collection" of Mr. Martin, why are police "raids" conducted like a theatrical performance ?
Is this posturing for the benefit of the neighbors ?
For the benefit of the media ?
An over-reaction due to embarrassment ?
Fear ?
Is this posturing for the benefit of the neighbors ?
For the benefit of the media ?
An over-reaction due to embarrassment ?
Fear ?
7
The correct answer is B, C, and D.
2
This guy was arrested for keeping secret/classified government information at his private server... I mean residence. s/he should go to Jail.
9
A consideration...maybe the so called secrets and information being stored needs to be heard by the public. Of course I believe Snowden to be a hero.
5
Investigators have no idea why Mr. Martin took the information. They don't know for certain if he sold it to the highest bidder, or if he's just a hoarder, a PhD student studying code who needed the materials for his thesis, or a whistleblower who didn't have time to blow the whistle before he was arrested. Most of us, including myself, are jumping to conclusions.
The snide comments that try to draw parallels to Ms. Clinton are transparently wrong. She was Secretary of State and knew that there were problems with cyber security, so she did what her predecessor, Colin Powell, did, and set up a private server that was not hacked or breached. She was thoroughly investigated by the FBI and Congress for doing so (although Powell was not), and there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on her part.
She did not take home classified code on a thumb or hard drive, hence, did not steal classified code, hence, there was no arrest. So everyone who thinks there's some equivalence between her actions and Mr. Martin's is either not paying close attention, or is deliberately making false equivalencies -- something that seems to be rampant among Ms. Clinton's detractors this election season.
As far as Mr. Martin goes, nobody seems to know what his motives were. There was enough evidence of theft to warrant an arrest, but what the outcome will be, none of us knows. Apparently most of us enjoy being judge, jury, and executioner. Thank goodness for rule of law.
The snide comments that try to draw parallels to Ms. Clinton are transparently wrong. She was Secretary of State and knew that there were problems with cyber security, so she did what her predecessor, Colin Powell, did, and set up a private server that was not hacked or breached. She was thoroughly investigated by the FBI and Congress for doing so (although Powell was not), and there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on her part.
She did not take home classified code on a thumb or hard drive, hence, did not steal classified code, hence, there was no arrest. So everyone who thinks there's some equivalence between her actions and Mr. Martin's is either not paying close attention, or is deliberately making false equivalencies -- something that seems to be rampant among Ms. Clinton's detractors this election season.
As far as Mr. Martin goes, nobody seems to know what his motives were. There was enough evidence of theft to warrant an arrest, but what the outcome will be, none of us knows. Apparently most of us enjoy being judge, jury, and executioner. Thank goodness for rule of law.
6
Secretary Powell did not use a private server. That is a falsehood. He used AOL for private email while working to improve cybersecurity at the state department. He also had permission; Mrs. Clinton did not.
9
AOL was not secure!
3
I have spent the last several decades working in technology. AOL was NOT secure at the time Powell used it. A single pipeline such as a home server was more secure and could be quickly and easily shut down.
2
Yeah America is so hungry to privatize every thing. So you reap what you sow! Republicans want to privatize and contract everything left right and center. And here we are again.
5
"we fired the employee" - that was awfully brave of you, Booz Allen. I am pretty sure you'd also had him water-boarded for the good of the contracts if he'd been available (along with a water-boarding consultant).
2
At least we caught this guy.
3
Numbers. Numbers. Numbers.
"The administration has also slashed the number of employees that have access to classified information...by 17 percent in the past couple of years." 17% of what? Give us the actual number of employees who were downgraded. Why were they ousted?
"The president's got a lot of confidence that the vast majority of people who serve this country in the national security arena...are genuine American patriots" What is the actual number of people who make up that vast majority? Of greater importance, how many people constitute the minority, how does the president know they exist, and why are they still employed in the national security arena?
The simple process of counting can provide a lot of insight into problems. We already know that the spy community is capturing more data than it can possibly process. Are there so many people with security clearances that the spies can't even keep track of their own? Numbers, Times. Please.
On another note, the Times' list of big names who filched on national security - Sandy Berger, Al Gonzales and John Deutch - is missing one really big name. Just an oversight, I'm sure.
"The administration has also slashed the number of employees that have access to classified information...by 17 percent in the past couple of years." 17% of what? Give us the actual number of employees who were downgraded. Why were they ousted?
"The president's got a lot of confidence that the vast majority of people who serve this country in the national security arena...are genuine American patriots" What is the actual number of people who make up that vast majority? Of greater importance, how many people constitute the minority, how does the president know they exist, and why are they still employed in the national security arena?
The simple process of counting can provide a lot of insight into problems. We already know that the spy community is capturing more data than it can possibly process. Are there so many people with security clearances that the spies can't even keep track of their own? Numbers, Times. Please.
On another note, the Times' list of big names who filched on national security - Sandy Berger, Al Gonzales and John Deutch - is missing one really big name. Just an oversight, I'm sure.
2
Snowden? The Walkers?
The number of "employees" being reduced does not tell us if the number of people who work for contractors and who have classified clearance increased, and if so by what percentage.
1
He's a traitor. Death penalty if convicted.
Did he do any worse than Petraeus? Took home code, while P took home binders full of data, but he lied about it. Why is a better question.
What motivated him? What was Petraeus reasoning?
What motivated him? What was Petraeus reasoning?
7
Upon reflection I agree with you. There is still much to be learned. Petraeus got off way too easy.
In order to protect not only the info but the whole Nation US gov shoul convert contractors in permanent jobs; conduct the screening by a gov agency. Eliminating third parties government will have better control and supervision on its emplyees.
1
The government does its part by implementing security controls and a vetting process of contractors.
Booz Allen Hamilton employees must comply with NSA regulations just like any other employee.
Converting them to government official would do absolutely nothing. There is a reason they work for a consulting firm and not the government, and that reason is money.
Booz Allen Hamilton employees must comply with NSA regulations just like any other employee.
Converting them to government official would do absolutely nothing. There is a reason they work for a consulting firm and not the government, and that reason is money.
2
It would appear that the government feel that technicians, no matter how great their level of expertise, should always be paid less than the know-nothing managers and politically connected administrators who are their superiors in the chain of command.
1
Why is Booz Allen still working for the U.S, government. Geez, these guys are clueless.
5
They contribute a lot of money, and we have the best government money can buy
1
Maybe Bill Clinton can put in a good word for Mr. Martin with Loretta Lynch.
That would be the Democratic thing to do.
That would be the Democratic thing to do.
11
The number of contractors with various grades of security clearances in US institutions, is quite mind-boggling. Thousands. Moreover, a not insignificant percentage are dual-citizens, or have formal ties or allegiances to foreign countries. As for comments addressing the consulting firm in question, it employed several notorious foreign assets who were considered major security risks. Most left quietly when BAH was sold to the Carlyle Group, cheque in hand. The extent of foreign penetration into US agencies, including directly into the Pentagon, White House, State Department, DOJ, DOE and others, is perhaps one of the most egregious security gaps left unaddressed. In this presidential election cycle, their interests appear to be discretely represented by both political parties, and the press, and it will likely be an orgy in Washington, next year. Where one candidate email links disappeared to is perhaps in this regard, after all, of some relevance.
4
If indeed it's true this clown should be flown out over the Atlantic Ocean and dropped out of the plane weighed down by the documents he stole. Then Booz Allen should be fined out of existence for being an incubator for traitors like Edward Snowden and this clown.
2
Now this is a guy who belongs at Guantanamo Bay and waterboarded to reveal secrets, plans, his partners in crime and the damage done already. I feel pretty certain he has a treasure trove and therefore should be held guilty until proven innocent just like some held guilty without any evidence or charges wasting more than a decade of their lives. And why was Booz Allen Contractors not fired after Snowden's revelations? With matters of Security of our Country, one strike and they should have been out. Besides, why is the Defense Department getting private contractors to handle matters of vital importance? Classified information! What a joke!
4
"why is the Defense Department getting private contractors to handle matters of vital importance?"
Because government policies prevent paying technicians what they could make if they worked for Microsoft, Apple or even Amazon.
Because government policies prevent paying technicians what they could make if they worked for Microsoft, Apple or even Amazon.
1
I have two suggestions based on our military's past experience.
1. During World War II we learned that long lectures were needed in order to inculcate proper security consciousness. Secretary Clinton did not even submit to the minimum briefing.
2. Code breaking relied on genius super-nerds and some of them needed minders. The minders not only kept an eye on the super-nerd's security habits, but even helped with practical day-to-day affairs. If, for example, he had a car accident, the super-nerd was encouraged to call his minder for advice. We did not want the super-nerd to get arrested and have to talk about his occupation.
Clearly, Edward Snowden and Harold Martin needed minders. That at least could have kept Martin from taking stuff home. Examples of important cryptographic and other security lapses are discussed in my book Twelve American Wars.
1. During World War II we learned that long lectures were needed in order to inculcate proper security consciousness. Secretary Clinton did not even submit to the minimum briefing.
2. Code breaking relied on genius super-nerds and some of them needed minders. The minders not only kept an eye on the super-nerd's security habits, but even helped with practical day-to-day affairs. If, for example, he had a car accident, the super-nerd was encouraged to call his minder for advice. We did not want the super-nerd to get arrested and have to talk about his occupation.
Clearly, Edward Snowden and Harold Martin needed minders. That at least could have kept Martin from taking stuff home. Examples of important cryptographic and other security lapses are discussed in my book Twelve American Wars.
3
I am sure that the government worshiping liberal/progressives would love the idea of appointing a government minder for each and every super-nerd. It would bring them one step closer of having everyone work for their great god government, just like in the old Soviet Union.
2
"But more than a month later, the authorities cannot say with certainty whether Mr. Martin leaked the information, passed THEM on to a third party or whether he simply downloaded THEM."
I am not a native speaker of English, but even I know that the passage quoted hereinabove is grammatically incorrect by any stretch of the imagination. It should have run thus:
"But more than a month later, the authorities cannot say with certainty whether Mr. Martin leaked the data, passed them on to a third party or whether he simply downloaded them."
I am so angry with you right now for making such a mistake that I have enabled the ad-blocking software in my browser on your website to teach you a lesson that poor grammar will cost you money.
I am not a native speaker of English, but even I know that the passage quoted hereinabove is grammatically incorrect by any stretch of the imagination. It should have run thus:
"But more than a month later, the authorities cannot say with certainty whether Mr. Martin leaked the data, passed them on to a third party or whether he simply downloaded them."
I am so angry with you right now for making such a mistake that I have enabled the ad-blocking software in my browser on your website to teach you a lesson that poor grammar will cost you money.
5
The only person that should be allowed to leak secured information is Hillary Clinton. Nothing happens to her when she lies to the FBI. Why should anyone else be held accountable. Laws are for everyone aren't they?
7
"Laws are for everyone aren't they?"
Either for everybody or for nobody.
Either for everybody or for nobody.
1
Drink responsibly.
1
You should read all of FBI Director Comey's answers to the senate committee. He explained quite clearly there why charging Clinton would not be a correct action under law. Given his law degree and years of service in law enforcement, I expect he may know a little more than you. And since he is a registered Republican, he probably would have preferred that there be something he could recommend charges about.
3
He should try to convince the prosecutors that he is a Clinton or part of the Campaign, or just working on one of Hillary's servers. The FBI and the Justice Department will then give him a pass.
3
The Obama administration - too much Booz!
1
Hey, if our politicians arent going to jail, why should this guy?? Our elected officials are above the law it seems. Yet they have no problem sending people down the ranks to jail -- for stuff they themselves do. This guy should claim it was his own server and he didnt know things were classified. Sound familiar?
"Samuel R. Berger, a former national security adviser, stole classified documents from the National Archives and hid them under a construction trailer."
This is the first the Times has reported this on Berger - previously was only mentioned he stuffed classified documents in his pants. Or about Gonzalez, a republican. Is the Times covering up for political appointees and politicians? No headline mentioned that Berger "stole" classified material - yet this article does - why the different treatment??
"Samuel R. Berger, a former national security adviser, stole classified documents from the National Archives and hid them under a construction trailer."
This is the first the Times has reported this on Berger - previously was only mentioned he stuffed classified documents in his pants. Or about Gonzalez, a republican. Is the Times covering up for political appointees and politicians? No headline mentioned that Berger "stole" classified material - yet this article does - why the different treatment??
2
There is simply put too much vital information on the internet, govt. and individual information. If you don't want the whole world to read it, don't put it there!
This is a big problem of outsourcing government functions to contractors. This is the big push of the Republicans. From Ronald Regan, to Bush I and then W. And Chenney were all in. We can not forget that Obama was just clueless. So manly of the longstanding highly qualified government employees by the time Obama got in office were passed for promotion for diversity. After trying to work for Obama's clueless Diversity promotions, many just took their early outs and went the contractor route as well.
We need to go back to the most highly qualified candidates based on education and experience without regard to color, party of veteran status. Use KSA's. Also unlock Federal Employees pay from that of Congress. Also, I just looked the Blue Cross of Federal Empoyees is double what Bank of America Empoyees pay next year.
Get rid of the Contractors it is a pay off system to politicians. Go back to highly qualified and market rate federal employees, not election time punching bags.
We need to go back to the most highly qualified candidates based on education and experience without regard to color, party of veteran status. Use KSA's. Also unlock Federal Employees pay from that of Congress. Also, I just looked the Blue Cross of Federal Empoyees is double what Bank of America Empoyees pay next year.
Get rid of the Contractors it is a pay off system to politicians. Go back to highly qualified and market rate federal employees, not election time punching bags.
2
There are serious questions raised when you compare the Criminal Complaint embedded in the article with the contents of the article. First, the article reports that Mr. Martin was arrested and handcuffed by the FBI on August 27th during the search. In contrast, the Complaint requesting a warrant for Mr. Martin’s arrest was not even filed until August 29. Furthermore, this document filed under oath claims that Mr. Martin was not arrested on Aug. 27th and instead that he was still at large. Hence the need for the arrest warrant. Which is true? Did Special Agent Bucalo lie to the US Magistrate? If so, why? Second, the Complaint states that the offenses of Theft of Government Property and Retention of Classified Documents occurred on August 29, 2016. Obviously Mr. Martin was not in possession of any government documents on Aug. 29 because the FBI seized all of them on August 27th. Did the Magistrate even read the Complaint? Furthermore, if he was arrested on August 27th obviously he could not steal any government property on August 29. This is not simply a lack of attention to detail, rather this is glaring evidence of perjury and/or incompetence. Third, why was his arrest not made public until the NYT warned the Justice Department that it was about to publish the story?
5
This raid did not take place in secret, the neighbors must have known. Why did not the local Washington post report it?
1
5.1 million Americans have obtained confidential/secret and top secret clearance, "sponsored"by US government agencies or security cleared contractors(more than the population of Norway,3/24/14 WP).Periodic reinvestigation is required to keep the clearance.....every 5 years for top secret....every ten for secret and every 15 years for confidential.
It takes a small army of investigators(private and public who also have to be cleared !)and billions of dollars to keep this security process up to date.
In view of the above facts ,what is most astounding,is the ability of the NYT to reveal in this article that,"Mr.Martin is suspected of taking highly classified computer code,developed by the agency(NSA since at least 2014) to break into computer systems of adversaries like Russia,China,Iran and North Korea." Surely this is TOP SECRET information not revealed in arrest warrants for Mr.Martin or even in the charges against him .......so much for secrecy and custody of evidence!
It takes a small army of investigators(private and public who also have to be cleared !)and billions of dollars to keep this security process up to date.
In view of the above facts ,what is most astounding,is the ability of the NYT to reveal in this article that,"Mr.Martin is suspected of taking highly classified computer code,developed by the agency(NSA since at least 2014) to break into computer systems of adversaries like Russia,China,Iran and North Korea." Surely this is TOP SECRET information not revealed in arrest warrants for Mr.Martin or even in the charges against him .......so much for secrecy and custody of evidence!
They'll convict the guy, but let Clinton go free for doing much worst. Maybe he can use Hillary's defense, I don't remember, or I didn't know or I didn't mean too.
3
What difference, at this point, does it make?
We have another story about Yahoo scanning everyone's emails for crime. And if you think Yahoo is the only one, you're naive. Google (huge Obama donor) claims it "wouldn't" but who believes them? Isn't this basically "stop and frisk" virtually everyone in a cyber way? Yet Trump gets hammered for it and then it's terrific that this administration is doing it to anyone who touches a keyboard.
Secret illegal servers were fair game for Hillary. No prosecution. She had multiple devices HAMMERED. No prosecution. The FBI agreed to take Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson's laptops and DESTROY them. Bill Clinton boards Loretta Lynch's plane the day before Hillary's interview with the FBI. "Nothing wrong", just "golly guys, don't do silly things like that again" wink wink.
It's obvious to any conscious person that this administration is corrupt and rotted through and through. "Impartial" agencies are anything but.
The elites of both parties and the media are complicit in this slime stew.
Trump doesn't do himself linguistic favors on occasion, but every medium outlet pounds him with every battering ram and then tells us all these scandals about Obama, Hillary and the Clinton Foundation are just fabricated stories by disgruntled non-supporters.
It's high time to flush the sewer that is Washington DC. Trump 2016.
We have another story about Yahoo scanning everyone's emails for crime. And if you think Yahoo is the only one, you're naive. Google (huge Obama donor) claims it "wouldn't" but who believes them? Isn't this basically "stop and frisk" virtually everyone in a cyber way? Yet Trump gets hammered for it and then it's terrific that this administration is doing it to anyone who touches a keyboard.
Secret illegal servers were fair game for Hillary. No prosecution. She had multiple devices HAMMERED. No prosecution. The FBI agreed to take Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson's laptops and DESTROY them. Bill Clinton boards Loretta Lynch's plane the day before Hillary's interview with the FBI. "Nothing wrong", just "golly guys, don't do silly things like that again" wink wink.
It's obvious to any conscious person that this administration is corrupt and rotted through and through. "Impartial" agencies are anything but.
The elites of both parties and the media are complicit in this slime stew.
Trump doesn't do himself linguistic favors on occasion, but every medium outlet pounds him with every battering ram and then tells us all these scandals about Obama, Hillary and the Clinton Foundation are just fabricated stories by disgruntled non-supporters.
It's high time to flush the sewer that is Washington DC. Trump 2016.
9
Absolutely agree - flush Trump, too!
2
Well, I'll try again since the NY Times Censorship department flagged my initial comment, because it's important to address a clear double-standard.
Basically, the premise is Why Mr. Martin has been arrested for taking classified information home when clearly a very known figure ( I will not mention her name . . . maybe I can avoid censorship) had thousands of classified information in her private unsecured server and at home, for which she was not authorized to have at home or in a private server?
Can the FBI and Justice Dept. explain the double standard?
Oh well. Mr. Martin maybe didn't know the right people. Maybe he wasn't even a friend of the President and had no political bargaining chips.
Lady Justice may be blind . . . but I can't help but thinking that some times She peeps before taking a blind eye.
Basically, the premise is Why Mr. Martin has been arrested for taking classified information home when clearly a very known figure ( I will not mention her name . . . maybe I can avoid censorship) had thousands of classified information in her private unsecured server and at home, for which she was not authorized to have at home or in a private server?
Can the FBI and Justice Dept. explain the double standard?
Oh well. Mr. Martin maybe didn't know the right people. Maybe he wasn't even a friend of the President and had no political bargaining chips.
Lady Justice may be blind . . . but I can't help but thinking that some times She peeps before taking a blind eye.
12
Sure, I'll explain it you... Clinton didn't steal the information on her servers, had the clearance, and need to know. (A person must meet these two last criteria to be able to access any classified information).
Any questions?
Any questions?
1
I understand why he had to be arrested. I don't understand why the arresting officers had to be so heavily armed.
7
Because some people in DC actually believes Tony Stark level tech guru/hacker exists.
3
Are there people within Booz Allen that may be complices? Our Government must probe every employee and contractor of this company and start looking for a more reliable contractor or avoid contracting sensitive projects.
1
I download Beethoven's Fifth Symphony by the Berlin Philharmonic. A few days later Amazon says "Hi Frank, we see that you downloaded the Fifth Symphony last Thursday at 3:12 pm. You know that the Seventh Symphony is available from the same conductor?" How come Amazon can know what I downloaded but the top, most secure agency in the United States has continually, year after year, shown that they have no idea who does what? Worse, they don't seem to be able to fix the problem. Nobody is ever fired although our nation's security seems to be run by The Three Stooges.
9
Whatever happened to giving the death penalty to people who commit treason?
2
Whatever happened to removing people from government who took an oath to support the Constitution who spend most of their waking moments trying to subvert it.
MF, I am surprised the NYT published your appeal to violence when much of the so-called "treason" is about exposing so-called "secrets" that involed government malfeasance. Nazis shot such whistleblowers. Do you want the mentality of government Naziism turned loose on American citizens?
MF, I am surprised the NYT published your appeal to violence when much of the so-called "treason" is about exposing so-called "secrets" that involed government malfeasance. Nazis shot such whistleblowers. Do you want the mentality of government Naziism turned loose on American citizens?
Would a present day background check protocol have prevented General Benedict Arnold from almost giving West Point to the British? I say no. Let us be realistic. It is impossible to know if a patriotic hero such as this Revolutionary War hero might turn into a traitor. As it turned out it was pure luck that his plot was foiled. Even so he did escape to the British and lived out his life on foreign soil.
We do our best to protect our secrets but must always know that someone we trust will betray us but hopefully rarely.
We do our best to protect our secrets but must always know that someone we trust will betray us but hopefully rarely.
2
A proper investigation of his wife, who many believe corrupted him, might have prevented it. Also better security along the Hudson. If Andre hadn't been a fool, we'd be speaking English and drinking tea.
Another failure by Obama. Martin shouldn't be prosecuted. Comey set the precedent with Hillary.
9
Looks like the current FBI leadership is a little late to the dance.
5
I do not believe that a civil service employee would be such a crook as some of these contractors that are apparently not loyal individuals.
1
"...lawyers for Mr. Martin said: “We have not seen any evidence. But what we know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country.”..."
Does the lawyer thing, that by claiming the same ground as Snowden, that it will carry water for the authorities? Heh.
Does the lawyer thing, that by claiming the same ground as Snowden, that it will carry water for the authorities? Heh.
1
I'm more concerned that the lawyers, after a month's incarceration, have not seen any evidence. When were they appointed? Have they been allowed to talk with their client privately or at all? Why have they not gone to the media about this?
Honestly, why should anyone, especially the FBI, care about this?
4
If a school principal told the student body to report to him instances of bullying but the first two who did ended up in detention, do you think the rest of the student body will go to him or "leak it" on YouTube?
Obama has persecuted more whistleblower than any other president all in an effort to keep the lid on his expended global surveillance programs. His call for more transparency rings hollow as he forces down foreign head of state's flight to search for Snowden and his Secretary of State keeps state secrets on private server to bypass internal review.
If righteous people have no official outlet to report wrong doing, they can only go the unofficial way, to the American people directly.
Obama has persecuted more whistleblower than any other president all in an effort to keep the lid on his expended global surveillance programs. His call for more transparency rings hollow as he forces down foreign head of state's flight to search for Snowden and his Secretary of State keeps state secrets on private server to bypass internal review.
If righteous people have no official outlet to report wrong doing, they can only go the unofficial way, to the American people directly.
9
Well, it seems there are no secrets. The NSA, while performing a service of dubious value in the first instance, spying on all of us, has proven incapable of securing the gathered volumes of data in its possession. The monster in the Utah desert is apparently easy to breech.
And what's with all the 'contractors'? This must be the result of privatization and money saving efforts.
And what's with all the 'contractors'? This must be the result of privatization and money saving efforts.
4
I keep reading criticisms here and elsewhere (in defense of Mr. Snowden and attacking the US Gov't intelligence systems. "Don't collect information on us" is the hue and cry. Yet those very protestors want to keep Muslims out of the country because they don't want enemies among us. Home grown terrorists and criminals are the greater danger. And reducing regulation of government programs leads to the very situation here. We should not have a cadre of "soldiers of fortune" whose loyalty to their paycheck hired to defend our country or determine the quality of their work by commercial oversight. I am all for "big" government that is kept in check by its citizens actually learning about who they vote for and voting responsibly for reasonable, viable, affordable legislation. Let's take industry out of the management of our country and put it back into the marketplace.
4
It appears that, when it comes to national secrets, there are the rules and then there is what everybody actually does. The latter is open to significant freelancing, as evidenced by none other than Sec. Clinton (among others, of course). Interesting that the article dismisses the idea of "other senior Washington officials...taking classified information home" as no big deal.
6
Please...please...neither jingoists should feel pity of the US government for being deprived of eventual lack of snoopy data collected from ordinary people.
https://theintercept.com/2016/10/04/delete-your-yahoo-account/
https://theintercept.com/2016/10/04/delete-your-yahoo-account/
2
While it's amusing to mull over that Mr. Martin should be made the Democratic candidate for vice president, as the current candidate repeatedly shot himself in the foot the other night, I am concerned with the lack of concern of his constitutional rights. We should not have secret prisoners in this country.
5
Don't you remember the "Patriot" Act?
What happened to TPI (Two Person Integrity)? No-one should be allowed access to Top Secret information alone whether you are looking at it, downloading it or even reading it. They had a chance to fix this with Snowden but they didn't.
5
Err, that doesn't work for secrets. In fact, more security comes from fewer eyes/access, but then of course, the whole issue here is our security classification system and document control system was basically designed for the time when hand and type-written paper documents were the items being classified.
Also, the classification and document control systems in place are predicated on the idea that the people with access are vetted and trusted. You can't make access to these resources so restrictive that you can't actually do any work with them.
Also, the classification and document control systems in place are predicated on the idea that the people with access are vetted and trusted. You can't make access to these resources so restrictive that you can't actually do any work with them.
No, they had a chance to fix it with Corporal Manning two years before Snowden.
1
And we are supposed to worry about Hillary Clinton's e-mail server? Give us a break!
1
Anyone waste their time getting pwnd by Assange into attending his boring anniversary party? NOTHING. He has nothing from her server, because at the time, that server was and likely still is the safest way to store personal data.
1
I am appalled by readers' presumptions that somehow people in government are more ethical than private citizens or that those inside government are now more ethical and trustworthy than they were as private citizens before joining government. Since when do those in government who act to to spy secretly on its citizens deserve the title of "genuine American patriots?" By that standard the Nazi SS were specially selected "genuine patriots" who should have been ardently supported as such by citizens.
Computers now provide a way to accumulate absolute power over citizens. Those who condone the accumulation of absolute power should never be called patriots. Such "patriots" are simply the pawns that enable the horrors of a totalitarian state. Power does corrupt, and we are forgetting the consequences that occur whenever we allow people in any sector to accumulate absolute power.
Computers now provide a way to accumulate absolute power over citizens. Those who condone the accumulation of absolute power should never be called patriots. Such "patriots" are simply the pawns that enable the horrors of a totalitarian state. Power does corrupt, and we are forgetting the consequences that occur whenever we allow people in any sector to accumulate absolute power.
9
"There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country.”
Intended: it will be interesting to see how intent figures into the criminal investigation and the decisions of the authorities. "Intent" or the "Hillary defense" may become the bedrock upon which defense lawyers build an argument for leniency or acquittal in espionage cases.
The Supreme Court didn't want Gore v. Bush to be a precedent and stated so in a footnote - but its on the books and will be mined when necessary. Likewise, the FBI doesn't want the Hillary defense to be an established out for the accused. Nevertheless, "intent" is a not a bell that can be un-rung. It will echo over cases involving the mishandling of classified documents.
Intended: it will be interesting to see how intent figures into the criminal investigation and the decisions of the authorities. "Intent" or the "Hillary defense" may become the bedrock upon which defense lawyers build an argument for leniency or acquittal in espionage cases.
The Supreme Court didn't want Gore v. Bush to be a precedent and stated so in a footnote - but its on the books and will be mined when necessary. Likewise, the FBI doesn't want the Hillary defense to be an established out for the accused. Nevertheless, "intent" is a not a bell that can be un-rung. It will echo over cases involving the mishandling of classified documents.
5
""There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country.”
Maybe he's just a hobbyist, a collector of rare and exotic material... Or perhaps he aspires to someday become Secretary of State and simply wanted to polish his "recognition and handling of classified material" skills in preparation for that role...
Maybe he's just a hobbyist, a collector of rare and exotic material... Or perhaps he aspires to someday become Secretary of State and simply wanted to polish his "recognition and handling of classified material" skills in preparation for that role...
2
I was a long time Hillary supporter, especially in 2008, but I cant' help but feel that she, based on Comey's report, is to be considered an unindicted coconspiritor in the unlawful manipulation and destruction of public and/or classified material.
Yet, because of Trump being Trump, she will probably be president.
Live long enough and you see it all.
Yet, because of Trump being Trump, she will probably be president.
Live long enough and you see it all.
1
A solution might be to charge the employee and company with treason - and give them their day in court. Next step is to eliminate contractors - they stole millions in Iraq and I'm sure are making big bucks for running a shoddy operation. I for one champion Hillary and her private server -
4
So you're against private contractors but for private servers?
3
So, we are without a doubt doing exactly what we are so mad about Russia for doing --- hacking foreign government computer systems! Not only that, but how would you feel if any other country worked with the Israeli government to assassinate a young nuclear scientist, with a family, as he got into his car in front of his house to go to work? We should take a look at our nation as other nations see the United States of America. #StopTheWars
5
Seems like the only thing they have Martin for so far is mishandling secret documents - taking them out of the agency (just like Hillary)
7
Taking code is criminal in this context, no matter the motivation.
To say he is a hoarder appears to make light of the situation.
What is his PHD concentrating on?
To say he is a hoarder appears to make light of the situation.
What is his PHD concentrating on?
1
I would like to give kudos to our fellow Republicans for their tenacious advocacy of privatizing government functions. It's worked out so well for everyone. We can only hope for more. Of course that may destroy our democracy, but the boys at the top will be filthy rich.
7
And I would like to congratulate our fellow Democrats for choosing a candidate who truly understands the importance of safeguarding classified information and has done so with such diligence and professionalism that she truly is the gold standard and prime example, often cited by Russian and Chinese Intelligence as a model of American transparency.
5
From the security standpoint Harold Martin is no more guilty than Secretary Clinton! This is what James Comey and Loretta Lynch have wrought.
8
Time to investigate whether Booz Allen (privately held) has links to the Trump organization, or Russian business interests.
5
Many of Clinton’s defense industry donors have longstanding ties to the Democratic Party, including Greta Lundeberg, Boeing’s vice president for strategy and advocacy and a former National Security Council staffer in the Obama administration; and Robert Hale, an adviser at Booz Allen Hamilton who was the Pentagon’s comptroller under Obama...
2
Surveillance by private contractors is bad enough and it's the duty of US citizens (Snowden) to expose misuse of technology. What scares me more are the private contractors with the latest weapons technology sent tower zones without power US military oversight.
2
Great, now Mr. Martin can use the Hillary Clinton defense It was not my intent, after all we do not want to discriminate in FBI and Justice prosecutions.
8
I saw the times ran an article suggesting the suspect was very scared when he was arrested. That is to suggest he is a wimp, and to discourage the obvious comparison of what he is accused of with what former Secretary of State Clinton without question did.
3
“…(this) would put Mr. Martin in the company of countless other senior Washington officials who have been caught taking classified information home.” but from the National Security Agency?
Seems Washington leaks like a sieve.
So much is routinely classified for reasons other than hard core “national security” diluting the meaning and credibility of this method of protecting truly vital information. And too, the consequences for violations are often taped at best.
In the days when it was all paper based it would have been impossible to walk out with terabytes of highly classified information. Now it is doable with a key stroke or a micro-drive.
Seems Washington leaks like a sieve.
So much is routinely classified for reasons other than hard core “national security” diluting the meaning and credibility of this method of protecting truly vital information. And too, the consequences for violations are often taped at best.
In the days when it was all paper based it would have been impossible to walk out with terabytes of highly classified information. Now it is doable with a key stroke or a micro-drive.
1
How long before Donald blames Hillary?
5
Another commenter has already suggested Trump might be involved! Let the craziness begin! LOL.
What are you talking about? This is obviously George Bush's fault.
1
Gee Wiz! What's the big deal? Hillary had thousands of classified information in her private server at home-- and she wasn't authorized either.
She wasn't arrested or indicted. Why should Mr. Martin be arrested or indicted?
Can the FBI and the Justice Dept. explain the double standard??
She wasn't arrested or indicted. Why should Mr. Martin be arrested or indicted?
Can the FBI and the Justice Dept. explain the double standard??
7
Once again we prove that the Republican "private is always better" is complete bull. It is better for their profit line, but not necessarily for the Nation.
4
Why does the agency still trust BOOZ ALLEN? Their offices should be raided. Who do Horacio Rozanski, Joseph Mahaffe and Joseph Logue work for? BOOZ ALLEN is a highly profitable conglomerate with $ 5.48 Billion in 2014. They should take responsibility for the data breach and their contract should be cancelled immediately. A lot of corruption and nepotism seems to be going on here on both sides. Snowden and Martin are only the tip of the iceberg while the real manipulators are leaning back raking in the money.
4
There is another layer of contractor involvement. Private contractors (probably not BAH) bid for work to investigate and vet civilians or current clearance holders to receive or periodically renew a security clearance. The government reviews this work and grants the clearance. BAH managed the person with an active clearance.
2
Petraeus got in little trouble for holding on to docs, too. How did this attic insulation story get started? Comey did not make it up out of thin air, did he? But he was told he had made an error when saying so to Congress, so WTF?
2
Too bad he didn't have a staff he could order to destroy all the evidence. Then, all he has to remember is to say, "I don't remember".
2
I think it's time to terminate the Booz Allen contractors.... just sayin'
10
I'll reserve judgement until all the facts are in and Mr. Martin has his say.
8
We will likely never get the full story ion what happened in this case from the MSM which is devoted to upholding the establishment, including the massive invasion of privacy that our government is routinely carrying out of Americans. If you really want to know what is going on in the world of cyberwar and security you should read Glenn Greenwald’s book, “No Place to Hide.”
3
The media, a dying profession, doesn't mind if we are spied on because they got an assurance after the Risen case that they are immune. Recall that they didn't seek Risen's evidence because he was a reporter, but because he was a book author. With this broad immunity, they are indifferent to what the government does to us, as they know it will be someone else who gets the knock on the door in the middle of the night.
2
It's interesting in that Hillary did the same thing and she wasn't arrested. Nor was Hillary's fence broken down nor privacy violated.
14
He can now just use the Hillary Defense and walk. Right?
Hillary is the new norm for how to handle America's classified information.
Hillary is the new norm for how to handle America's classified information.
11
Too bad. I feel sorry for the poor sap. I wonder if they can prove intent? If not, then there's no case. Just ask Hillary. I guess it is HOW you distribute our National secrets. If you take documents to distribute, that is a no no, but opening the back door and looking the other way while others sneak in and steal our secrets is okay apparently. Giving control of the internet allows others to spy on us, because we have laws that "supposedly" limits our government form doing it. However, if we allow another country to do it, then that too is okay. If we yield our sovereignty to the UN, then they too can do anything they want to us, because it is not our government doing it. You can get out of paying taxes by moving your business to another county, yet Trump is slammed for not paying taxes buy taking advantage of legal itemized deductions. I guess Trump should do like the other guys and move his business off shore. That way he can not pay taxes and it would be okay. See how all that works?
8
And how much theft did we have before we decided to hire private contractors for government jobs, including those involving state secrets? Cheap is cheap and some of us don't believe that private contractors are actually "cheaper" even if they cost the government less money.
5
(Not Mark) Go back and review some history. I remember the spies we had in the CIA, also double agents in Germany, working for the highest levels of NATO and then giving everything over to the Soviets. It went on for years! Decades! Also, lots of people caught giving classified info to the Soviets for money. It doesn't matter whether they are contractors or not, the national security apparatus of this country is just weak.
1
Someone please explain why on earth we are using contractors in such highly classified security settings. Whom does Booz Allen own in Congress to permit this continuing breach of our national security to be perpetuated? It is too little, too late for Booz Allen to piously proclaim that they are offering their "total cooperation in the investigation" - and it is long past time for us to call a screeching halt to the GOTP's endless efforts to privatize every aspect of our government. These are the results, and they are a disaster.
10
Anyone catch Liedos splittering off SAIC? Who says that's just a one way transaction?
Hey. this stupid email me box keeps checking itself; is that you, Scrooby?
Hey. this stupid email me box keeps checking itself; is that you, Scrooby?
We obviously don't have the technical skills.
1
Anyone notice you can't email NYT's reporters, anymore? That had to have been an open can of mics. Returning the unintended flavour, Mark Up Mark? Flave on. I got Elephant on board, so most start ups get shut down like rodeo clowns.
The NY Times own report reads: "Mr. Martin after the raid, he initially denied having taken the documents and digital files, according to the complaint. But he later told the authorities that he knew he was not authorized to have the materials. He told the agents, according to the complaint, that “he knew what he had done was wrong and that he should not have done it because he knew it was unauthorized.” Hmmm, sound familiar? Pant suit? Server? Mills? More bread crumbs for leads to a "double standard?"
7
You call this a double standard? The gulf between the treatment of Martin and "pants suit" is about as wide asthe Atlantic ocean at its widest. Of course, there's no comparison, right?
1
imagine...we leverage Russian hacking into our holier than thou political rhetoric, while we're busy hacking into everyone else....sounds like the no fly zone for ....everyone else but us.
2
Second time in 3 yrs a contractor is is arrested by the FBI. Good job, may have caught a criminal, YET, you let Hillary run Scot-free when she broke the law and lied...and you gave immunity to her cohorts and allowed them to destroy evidence. Some sharp lawyer for Mr Martin is going to ask for the same treatment!
9
Just use the Hillary "careless" defense.
10
How is this any different than what Hillary did?
12
You are comparing apples and oranges. Mr. Martin is not the Democratic candidate for president. So there.
4
No one got to her emails as we know after Assange kept those JAG heads up all night, but not to have fun. He's got nothing. Personal server is still the best protection from the East and the Wicked West.
And everyone who was anyone was smashing BBs after NSA busted their compression code. Freaking speaker pwn to the world.
And everyone who was anyone was smashing BBs after NSA busted their compression code. Freaking speaker pwn to the world.
1
This is a gift to the Trump campaign. Here is a person taken out in handcuffs at gunpoint from his home for unauthorized use of classified information. Had he been employed in one of the highest positions of trust in government rather than a lowly functionary of an outside contractor and attempted to conceal what he did, you would have a direct comparison to Secretary Clinton's misdeeds. It puts her kid gloves treatment into stark relief.
14
There was an exhaustive FBI investigation of Secretary Clinton's use of a private server. FBI Director James Comey concluded that no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges. Are you accusing Director Comey of malfeasance, gross incompetence, or both?
2
No, Bill. None of those things. He's just a decent guy who did what he did because he did not want the FBI to be seen as having been the instrument used by Mrs. Clinton's adversaries to destroy her candidacy... He laid out the facts and left it to the people to draw their own conclusions, and in November their final evaluation of his decision... He witnessed the venomous anger directed at the Supreme Court in 2000 and wanted no part of anything like that...
2
I'd really love to know why these people think this is ok? What provokes them to do this? What is the driving factor behind being this kind of shmuck? Is Treason is their agenda?
1
You should not refer to Mrs. Clinton as "these people".
2
All Government projects are handled by private contractors in that the Federal Government employees themselves have very little, if any, technical skills. Their job is paper pushing (primarily signing the time sheets of the contractors so they get paid). Booz Allen has been around for many years and is 100% professional. Before tar and feathering Mr. Martin just check things out a bit more.
3
Anyone with the necessary technical skills would not work directly for the government because they would not pay them more than their non-technical "supervisor". Most executives believe than no technician should ever be paid more than an "executive" despite the fact that an executive could never do the job of the technician.
7
There is also the drug testing requirement. Many technical people use weed. I add that I support full marijuana legalization.
1
Executives/Managers/Supervisors are people who were promoted to Executive/Manager/Supervisor because they couldn't do the jobs for which they now supervise others to do. Welcome to corporate America.
Considering no one at State even noticed that Hillary Clinton had a private server (or so it claimed) and that it had no real access to or ownership of most of her emails, it's not hard to believe that our government doesn't know what it's doing.
Subcontracting to Booz Allen might be necessary because we have little real technical capability within the federal government. Look at President Obama's federal health care exchange. That was only a front end system, and it was so poorly designed and managed it was embarrassing as a technical effort.
The real story here may be how our limited technical capabilities expose us.
Subcontracting to Booz Allen might be necessary because we have little real technical capability within the federal government. Look at President Obama's federal health care exchange. That was only a front end system, and it was so poorly designed and managed it was embarrassing as a technical effort.
The real story here may be how our limited technical capabilities expose us.
9
Without knowing Mr. Martin’s motivation, there may be a rush to judgement that needs to quell its enthusiasm. There remain more unanswered questions than those currently open to speculate. This is compounded by a journalistic vigor jumping to project itself in a manner that may cause more harm than revelation.
3
This is not brain surgery. When the risks are high, the controls have to be comparable, especially in cases of national security and no one can be trusted without verification.
Everything this man did was subject to monitoring, including the copying of files. Why wasn't it questioned earlier? We've seen this before. Everything goes on autopilot and everything is fine - until it isn't. No one should be allowed to carry media in and out or be able to attach key files to emails. They need a terminal. They don't need laptops, thumb drives or external hard drives.
Everything this man did was subject to monitoring, including the copying of files. Why wasn't it questioned earlier? We've seen this before. Everything goes on autopilot and everything is fine - until it isn't. No one should be allowed to carry media in and out or be able to attach key files to emails. They need a terminal. They don't need laptops, thumb drives or external hard drives.
3
The Obama Administration is surely the most inept since the country's founding.
5
Would you please explain your non sequitur? Thank you.
1
(Not Mark) Oh no, we've had lots of inept governments. It's about the only thing the civil service does well. I say that as someone who worked for civil service for a few years.
Simple fix. STOP using contractors. They don't have the maturity or commitment.
5
Snowden warned us about Russia's ability to hack back on the US for our hacking. Who is to say this guy was not framed?
2
Interesting take.
1
Since he didn't mean to do anything wrong, the charges should be dropped...
3
He said he was sorry, too. No reasonable prosecutor ...
3
Once again we see what a really bad idea it is hand over government operations like the TSA or NSA or private paramilitary security [remember Blackwater?] to private corporations. It always costs us more and they do a poorer job.
5
This kind of stuff doesn't make me happy one bit!!! For someone who has a Top Secret clearance for over 20 years and having access to programs I have never even thought to leak anything even if I felt it could be morally wrong. For all of you who have never worked in the Classified field you do not have any clue. For one to to work for the NSA you have your typical background check which goes back 10 years, plus you have a lifestyle polygraph done and you get re-investigated every 5 years. The background checks doesn't include digging into your past emails, websites you visited or trying to find you in the Darknet or the underground. The Government has contracted companies to do some of the background investigations and they do find things which may surprise you. “The average cost to process a TOP SECRET clearance is between $3,000 and about $15,000, depending upon individual factors. The law requires that contractors pay most of the costs of obtaining clearances for their employees.” Booz Allen pays for a government agency to do the investigation if the person DOES NOT have a security clearance matching what the job requires. So in order for companies like Booz Allen, they get the people who already has a clearance, especially prior military it saves them money. If you are close to a re-investigation they most likely wont hire you. Also companies and universities do research for the government coming up with ways to do things.
2
Let me see if i get this:
Martin caught wih classified info at home = ARRESED
Hillary caught with classified info at home = NOT ARRESTED
Tis good to be queen
Martin caught wih classified info at home = ARRESED
Hillary caught with classified info at home = NOT ARRESTED
Tis good to be queen
8
That qualifies him to be nominated for prez on the Dem ticket ... right?
4
Truth be told, personal server is the way to stay hack free. Nothing from Assange on Hillary's, or Easter Bunnies.
Whether it's your data or evidence of FCPA violations by an American company's CEO exploiting one, it never sees the Sun. Ask the Sun's former CEO. The UK decided to keep silent her business communications with UK government officials on a personal server she used for those purposes while the purchase of the entire Sky pie was before them. While she'd been charged with hacking and corruption, without the server, she walked. How did she manage it? She handed them her underling's emails!! 10 years worth of the Sun's onions.
72 reporters and their government sources were arrested! She walked.
I wish I could afford a personal server. Don't you wish everybody could?
One last download of data remained retained in her BB after she was relieved of duty. But after a month in GCHQ's hands, they sourced a Tempora file to create the metadata file they left in the BB instead of it's full copy, the one from David Cameron. Only his email was reduced to a Tempora file after a month in their hands.
Talk about a time stamp, GCHQ. How could you pervert justice to save Cam's bacon and Murdoch's sky pie? Is that what we pay you to do?
Whether it's your data or evidence of FCPA violations by an American company's CEO exploiting one, it never sees the Sun. Ask the Sun's former CEO. The UK decided to keep silent her business communications with UK government officials on a personal server she used for those purposes while the purchase of the entire Sky pie was before them. While she'd been charged with hacking and corruption, without the server, she walked. How did she manage it? She handed them her underling's emails!! 10 years worth of the Sun's onions.
72 reporters and their government sources were arrested! She walked.
I wish I could afford a personal server. Don't you wish everybody could?
One last download of data remained retained in her BB after she was relieved of duty. But after a month in GCHQ's hands, they sourced a Tempora file to create the metadata file they left in the BB instead of it's full copy, the one from David Cameron. Only his email was reduced to a Tempora file after a month in their hands.
Talk about a time stamp, GCHQ. How could you pervert justice to save Cam's bacon and Murdoch's sky pie? Is that what we pay you to do?
DOJ will deal like they did the banksters: slap-on-the-wrist fine for Booz-Allen.
NSA will continue to use Booz-Allen (or, some new contractor - small difference).
Nobody at NSA will lose their job
(except perhaps some janitor or parking lot attendant).
NSA will continue to use Booz-Allen (or, some new contractor - small difference).
Nobody at NSA will lose their job
(except perhaps some janitor or parking lot attendant).
5
Like Wells Fargo
1
Maybe outsourcing is just a bad idea -- you know, in a general sense.
7
An embarrassment for he “Obama administration” or for those dingbat officials who are supposed to safeguard our security?
Why didn’t some one do something about the Booz Allen Hamilton contractor the first time?
Why didn’t some one do something about the Booz Allen Hamilton contractor the first time?
2
Poor man, Did he not know if he would have just put all that on a unsecured sever in his bathroom closet he would not be in Jail? just ask Hillary!
5
Nowhere in the article does it state emphatically that Mr. Martin actually LEAKED anything. Merely possessing information he should not have in his home is illegal, but does NOT EQUATE to giving the information to a 3rd party or foreign state. Watch the perpetually embarrassed NSA and Justice Department throw the Espionage Act and death penalty at the guy and plant discrediting 'false flag' stories about him to sway public opinion.
Personally, I think there is no place in civilized society for a Stazi-like NSA that spends billions to spy on its fellow citizens.....and then turns it over to private consultants in secret, no-bid contracts. Turn your gaze outward, to the countries that have the capability to harm us, not to potential, and if you need more people, HIRE them and vet them and train them and supervise them. The alphabet soup agencies need to act like the adults in the room and it sure appears an audit of their resources is in order at the very least.
Personally, I think there is no place in civilized society for a Stazi-like NSA that spends billions to spy on its fellow citizens.....and then turns it over to private consultants in secret, no-bid contracts. Turn your gaze outward, to the countries that have the capability to harm us, not to potential, and if you need more people, HIRE them and vet them and train them and supervise them. The alphabet soup agencies need to act like the adults in the room and it sure appears an audit of their resources is in order at the very least.
3
" if you need more people, HIRE them and vet them and train them and supervise them. "
That does not work because the government is not willing to pay the super-smart technicians that it needs more than the average bureaucrats who are their nominal supervisors even though they probably do not have the faintest idea as to what the technicians are doing.
That does not work because the government is not willing to pay the super-smart technicians that it needs more than the average bureaucrats who are their nominal supervisors even though they probably do not have the faintest idea as to what the technicians are doing.
1
Why bother? They didn't care when Hillary Clinton made our secrets vulnerable.
5
So this poor guy had some top secret files at home and has dozens of armed SWAT agents surround his house and arrest him
Why didn't Crooked Hillary get the same treatment when her conduct was so much worse?
Why didn't Crooked Hillary get the same treatment when her conduct was so much worse?
8
Jay, here's my guess. Because she's Hillary...
3
When you read the accompanying article it seems pretty clear what happened: The contractor worked on his doctoral thesis, which had precisely the topic to which the documents that were found in his possession pertained: How to break into networks.
Naturally, as a good student he made use of all the relevant information he could access to write the best thesis he could.
That neatly explains the presence of these documents at his home, in his car and the lack of any attempt to hide anything.
Sometimes I have to wonder how "smart" the FBI really is, when it is not capable of making THAT connection before swarming the neighborhood with a SWAT team.
Bureaucrats!
Naturally, as a good student he made use of all the relevant information he could access to write the best thesis he could.
That neatly explains the presence of these documents at his home, in his car and the lack of any attempt to hide anything.
Sometimes I have to wonder how "smart" the FBI really is, when it is not capable of making THAT connection before swarming the neighborhood with a SWAT team.
Bureaucrats!
9
During the previous Bush administration, the meme was smaller government. Contracting out government work increased four fold. It made the government look smaller but did nothing for the cost. Between Snowden, Booz Allen and numerous other examples, aren't you glad you got your smaller government?
3
I was at the Education Department when Al Gore was 'reinventing government' - largely by contractors. The contractors were just as many in number with lower salaries but the overall fees paid to the contractors were higher than the cost of the government employees, assuming a labor overhead rate of 150%. Political connections also seemed to be a factor.
1
Problem for you is that this happened under the aegis of the statist Obama Administration, which has grown government to Godzilla like proportions. I realize that blaming Bush is still fashionable for Leftists who can't understand why Obama has been a failure, but it's been 8 years, and Snowden and this new disaster both happened on the Left's watch. You are your baseball card.
1
In unregulated capitalism, everything is for sale. Still think all government is bad?
1
Why is it, in an article about secrets being taken, we have "anonymous" sources let's King more government info? Can't any of these Mothers keep their mouths shut, or does everyone want to be Deep Throat?
Hillary gets away with illegally deleting 33,000 emails at her own discretion (illegal) and we throw the book at this guy?
11
"The F.B.I. secretly arrested a former National Security Agency contractor in August and, according to law enforcement officials, is investigating whether he stole and disclosed highly classified computer code developed by the agency to hack into the networks of foreign governments."
This makes no sense! Why would they arrest this person and then investigate to find out if he stole classified info? Traditionally, FBI investigates BEFORE it makes an arrest, other than in a case where someone is actually caught in the act.
This makes no sense! Why would they arrest this person and then investigate to find out if he stole classified info? Traditionally, FBI investigates BEFORE it makes an arrest, other than in a case where someone is actually caught in the act.
7
What an insightful question. It's a blessing to read such well-written rationality amidst the poor prose of the Trumpian trolls desperately throwing their Hail Mary passes.
I suspect that the FBI investigated Mr. Martin, found probable cause for an arrest, and is now continuing to investigate the case.
I suspect that the FBI investigated Mr. Martin, found probable cause for an arrest, and is now continuing to investigate the case.
How about hiring FEDERAL employees and not third party contractors? We should not continue to outsource government functions any more. It costs more in the long run and We The People have less control over the work.
7
Didn't one of the candidates for president also keep classified documents on her private server? I didn't see her named in this article.
6
Only one thing to do: Bring Snowden back from Russia, try him and Martin for treason, and send them both to a supermax prison for the rest of their lives. This has got to stop.
2
@Antoine, Oh yeah, that'll solve everything.
Or, you can carry on a protracted civil suit while taking cover behind a disinterested AG running for NJ Governor on your own TV news channel.
NewsCorp and cyber, they came to a near billion dollar agreement Murdoch's a hacking old sack of retirement waiting to happen. Hacked American companies from Jersey to the shore to learn the score and build a near monopoly on that paper that falls to the floor when you get snail mail.
Christy just couldn't be bothered to find NewsCorp wrong on any point, even if his court system doesn't support his belief hacking is for big sharks and little people don't deserve any privacy. Another billion dollar loser, folks. Just like Donald, when he loses, everybody else pays.
NewsCorp and cyber, they came to a near billion dollar agreement Murdoch's a hacking old sack of retirement waiting to happen. Hacked American companies from Jersey to the shore to learn the score and build a near monopoly on that paper that falls to the floor when you get snail mail.
Christy just couldn't be bothered to find NewsCorp wrong on any point, even if his court system doesn't support his belief hacking is for big sharks and little people don't deserve any privacy. Another billion dollar loser, folks. Just like Donald, when he loses, everybody else pays.
The Clinton campaign has been pushing for another intelligence surge. Here is Kaine in the debate:
"So it involves increasing our own workforce, but striking great partnerships with some of our cyber and intel experts in the private sector so that we can, consistent with constitutional principles, gather more intelligence."
In plain English, this means getting private corporations to suck up as much data as possible, then sharing it with the Federal government. Private corporations don't have to follow constitutional restrictions on spying on US citizens. So corporations can spy on the citizens and then share it with the government, and they can pretend is "consistent with our constitutional values."
If you think you have nothing to hide, think about the bad things you have said about president Trump, what his loyal followers in law enforcement, intelligence, and the military might think of it.
Or think of what the global banks will be mad at you for when Clinton is president.
If you still feel you have nothing to hide, please post all of your account information and passwords here so I can find things you wanted to hide.
What's in your wallet?
"So it involves increasing our own workforce, but striking great partnerships with some of our cyber and intel experts in the private sector so that we can, consistent with constitutional principles, gather more intelligence."
In plain English, this means getting private corporations to suck up as much data as possible, then sharing it with the Federal government. Private corporations don't have to follow constitutional restrictions on spying on US citizens. So corporations can spy on the citizens and then share it with the government, and they can pretend is "consistent with our constitutional values."
If you think you have nothing to hide, think about the bad things you have said about president Trump, what his loyal followers in law enforcement, intelligence, and the military might think of it.
Or think of what the global banks will be mad at you for when Clinton is president.
If you still feel you have nothing to hide, please post all of your account information and passwords here so I can find things you wanted to hide.
What's in your wallet?
2
Fact is, "privacy" is a thing of the past. If anyone wants the information you mention, they can get it rather easily. It's all in various databases or archives.
1
Not a shocker. Ever since some idiots, especially the media, in this country made the traitor Snowden out to be some sort of hero why wouldn't someone else do the same thing.
3
What exactly does anyone think a security clearance does. It is only an educated guess. It's like getting married. We all think we have the right one....until we don't. What can be done? NOTHING. Will this happen again? Most likely. Get up off of the NSA's back already. They are the best hope we have.
See "low bidder" in the government policy book to find out how susceptible they are everywhere. And a lot of the time the low bidder costs more, as we see here. The gov will spend a lot of money on investigations. Are the low bidders really the low bidders when it comes to total cost over many years? NO, not always. The way to get the job is to undercut. Then the way to not lose money is to cost extra the contract. Then we have to look at those in charge of acceptance. Who will benefit from the low bidder.
See "low bidder" in the government policy book to find out how susceptible they are everywhere. And a lot of the time the low bidder costs more, as we see here. The gov will spend a lot of money on investigations. Are the low bidders really the low bidders when it comes to total cost over many years? NO, not always. The way to get the job is to undercut. Then the way to not lose money is to cost extra the contract. Then we have to look at those in charge of acceptance. Who will benefit from the low bidder.
To all the HRC bashers commenting here: stop it. Not everything is related to the manufactured "scandal" over her private server. If this election were not so serious, as are this alleged NSA security breach and the concomitant issue of government outsourcing, your pathetic clutching at the straws of false equivalency would be laughable. If you really care about national security, you'd vote for her and not that clown put forth by the profit-loving, government-averse GOP.
6
I'm a Hillary supporter but puh-leez. The only difference in the alleged misdeeds here is that this poor schlub wasn't Secretary of State and didn't attempt to conceal what he did. You can't complain about every unimportant utterance that Trump makes and whitewash over a glaring example of unequal treatment before the law just because she is the one at fault.
5
The "secret arrest" mentioned here should give rise to a lot more questions.
A friend had his 18 year old son arrested and held for 18 hours with no notification to the parents. He was later told this was allowed by the Patriot Act.
A friend had his 18 year old son arrested and held for 18 hours with no notification to the parents. He was later told this was allowed by the Patriot Act.
5
The law comes down on this nobody, but when the Secretary of State moves top secret documents off site, violating federal law, and shares them with unauthorized staff and makes them vulnerable to hacking, then lies about it, she's found not to have meant any harm, and her collaborators all get immunity.
10
She didn't lie. She just can't recall (how many? 35 times in testimony before the FBI?) She might just as blithely declared privileged immunity.
1
Bleaching is even better than fibbing...
2
Reading the first group of comments on my screen, I see that most just assume guilt. I have no idea what Martin did or not, whether he did it alone or not, whether he had noble or ignoble intentions, whether he has a mental illness, etc. Neither does anyone writing here or likely anyone in government. Remember Wo Hen Lee? Remember how people just rushed to judgment assuming that the Andreas Lubitz was connected to terrorism when he deliberately crashed the Germanwings plane last year (not to excuse what he did). Read Stephen Christopher's Talley's recent complaint filed recently against the U.S., the FBI and others for false arrest. A couple of years ago a Commerce Dep't employee, Sherry Chen, was arrested, had her life turned upside down, then saw the charges suddenly dropped. These things do happen.
I'm not saying Martin's innocent either. I'm saying for crying out loud, we know we should withhold judgment until facts are developed.
I'm not saying Martin's innocent either. I'm saying for crying out loud, we know we should withhold judgment until facts are developed.
9
I wonder why this issue is being politicized by tying it to the Obama Administration in the article. This person is not even a government employee. If some maintenance worker employed by a contractor at Yellowstone Park ran over a tourist would he/she be characterized as a member of the Obama Administration? Second, this does raise a legitimate issue about the use of contractors to do sensitive work.
5
It's not the contractors that are the problem when the Secretary of State is doing it too. The government is inept and unable to keep its classified information on the premises. Jewelry and electronics stores often search employees before they leave. Casinos keep cameras trained on their croupiers. How about we do the same with anybody who works with classified info, no matter what their rank? No more personal phones, put your bag in a locker outside the secure area. We demand the police carry body cams, why not people handling classified info too? And how about we shore up the networks so employees can't send emails to outside addresses that aren't white listed? I don't care if you're Secretary of State or a poor unknown contractor geek who likes hoarding tech. You should be treated the same. If you can't handle the indignity of keeping to these rules, get another job.
3
So now we see the proliferation of advanced cyber weapons caused by Booz Allen. Not only that, but we see that Booz Allen engaged in crimes against Americans when it began plotting conspiracies against Glenn Greenwald who published Snowdens documents. I hope there are 10,000 Snowdens because each one would be a hero. The American people are tired of being spied upon while people like Clinton set up shop in the State Department and now seek the Presidency to sell out this country to the highest bidder. Our government perpetrates crimes against other countries and then makes us pay thier racket to protect us from righteous retribution. You can only dodge the bullet so many times. Now Clinton wants war with Iran and Russia and has promised it. This will be one promise she will keep. Whose side do you think China will be on in this war?
2
"In a brief statement issued Wednesday, lawyers for Mr. Martin said: “We have not seen any evidence. But what we know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country.”
Okay, legal question, Mr. Martin was arrested and charged in August don't the U.S. Attorneys have to hand any evidence they have over to the defense within a certain amount of time? The way this reads his attorney(s) still haven't received anything.
From the way the article reads all Mr. Martin's guilty of is taking documents home and being an idiot. The guy knew it was against the law when he did it, he watched Snowden go down, so he deserves to be charged for the minimum if that's all they have evidence for. I'm sure this isn't the end of the story.
Okay, legal question, Mr. Martin was arrested and charged in August don't the U.S. Attorneys have to hand any evidence they have over to the defense within a certain amount of time? The way this reads his attorney(s) still haven't received anything.
From the way the article reads all Mr. Martin's guilty of is taking documents home and being an idiot. The guy knew it was against the law when he did it, he watched Snowden go down, so he deserves to be charged for the minimum if that's all they have evidence for. I'm sure this isn't the end of the story.
3
In that case, I hope you agree that everyone is equal before the law and Hillary is going to jail with him.
That what you are advocating?
That what you are advocating?
2
"There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.
Can they prove that he knowingly exchanged classified information on her private email server?
His behavior was "extremely careless" — his action suggests there was likely little malice behind her worst missteps.
Can they prove that he knowingly exchanged classified information on her private email server?
His behavior was "extremely careless" — his action suggests there was likely little malice behind her worst missteps.
2
Anyone who believes these sort of things will never occur with better vetting, doesn't understand human behavior and the limits to control it. Should we do better, most likely, but it will happen. It's simple, the greater number of people with a secret, its match in its chances of being shared. Two people with a secret isn't the same as 2000. My concern is did he actually do something illegal to compromise our security, and if so, are there others?
I was never a fan of Edward Snowden. Sure he seemingly is made from an honorable fiber, but on closer look, he certainly has lost his zeal to criticize rights and freedoms, and privacy for the citizens of the country he sought refuge in, Russia. Julian Assange is even worse. He's got a vandetta against the United States, rarely speak of the atrocities committed by Russia or any other country. It's clearly pick on the greatest power and you'll get attention. But don't mess with the guys who are doing truly murderous things and who will simply make you disappear. If Snowden has an ounce of morality he should return to the United States and enter a Court to state his case. He certainly has the support of most people who champion anyone who stands up to a power, a somewhat American ideal. What's he so afraid of?
I was never a fan of Edward Snowden. Sure he seemingly is made from an honorable fiber, but on closer look, he certainly has lost his zeal to criticize rights and freedoms, and privacy for the citizens of the country he sought refuge in, Russia. Julian Assange is even worse. He's got a vandetta against the United States, rarely speak of the atrocities committed by Russia or any other country. It's clearly pick on the greatest power and you'll get attention. But don't mess with the guys who are doing truly murderous things and who will simply make you disappear. If Snowden has an ounce of morality he should return to the United States and enter a Court to state his case. He certainly has the support of most people who champion anyone who stands up to a power, a somewhat American ideal. What's he so afraid of?
3
Government contractors for any myriad of official business is certainly not free market driven economic activity. It is fascistic, economically speaking. As a libertarian, I think it's actually worse than straight up government bureaucracy, because interested parties are hidden from both private and public sector regulation. More specifically, the contractors lose accountability to market forces because they are fulfilling the role of a government monopoly in that area, so no pressure from competition. They lose accountability to taxpayers and the political checks of government because they are a private entity insulated from those prying eyes, as inefficient that system may be, at least it's something. This is why the results of fascism in Germany and Italy were so perverse. It's not a sustainable system even, and the floodgates for abuse are left wide open. It always ultimately end in economic collapse in the same way other socialist schemes do, but in the meantime atrocities will abound.
2
With vital national security interests at stake how prudent is it to outsource the crucial intelligence related FBI agency tasks to the private firms and their contractors, who with several business interests often transnational in nature to serve could any time pose a threat to the national interests?
6
Is outsourcing to contractors because their pay - working for the government - is low the same as teaching children where the pay is low also?
1
Hillary Clinton, FBI Director James Comey and AG Loretta Lynch don't care about national security interests. Why should government contractors care about it? Snowden and Assange deserve Nobel Peace Prizes.
3
I retired from a government job last year. At that time information security monitored if any device (external hard drive, thumb drive, cell phone, etc) were plugged into our computers. We could lose our jobs if we did this. Also, the cd drives had been disabled so we could not copy data onto cds. Outgoing email attachments were monitored.
How is it possible that the NSA has such poor control of its data?
How is it possible that the NSA has such poor control of its data?
19
Edward Snowden was a privileged user who had a need to access systems in ways and in places not usually permitted to ordinary users. He abused the privilege, and there then were inadequate controls at NSA over privileged users. Neither the article nor the criminal complaint against Harold Martin describes his position, so we don't know how or to what degree he abused authorized access and how much could have been controlled by simple but effective methods like eliminating the possibility of USB or CD/DVD access.
Technical security provisions can provide only part of the solution. There also must be management oversight, copy controls, examination of outgoing briefcases, and other procedural controls.
Technical security provisions can provide only part of the solution. There also must be management oversight, copy controls, examination of outgoing briefcases, and other procedural controls.
Better yet, who is to say someone else was not using his computer in the office or had hacked his, or several other computer passwords to gain information?
... and how is it that nobody's asking the question if HRC, as Secretary of State, needed another computer because her's didn't make it, then she could have had it? All she had to do was ask instead of putting a server in her basement. Both of my folks worked for the gummint and I know someone who's retired after 30 years from the gummint also.
3
"Murray Bennett, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that two dozen F.B.I. agents wearing military-style uniforms and armed with long guns stormed the house, and later escorted Mr. Martin out in handcuffs."
I recognize the seriousness of the charge but am always fascinated by law enforcement's (at all levels) love of over-the-top displays of physical force. I think we all know some hacker geek is unlikely to respond to an arrest warrant with violence.
I recognize the seriousness of the charge but am always fascinated by law enforcement's (at all levels) love of over-the-top displays of physical force. I think we all know some hacker geek is unlikely to respond to an arrest warrant with violence.
14
Because these guys are high school bully types that these jobs attract. Recently my sons school class went to this states' FBI headquarters. The agents showed off their body armor and how well the building was protected. The heart of the building was a well staffed control center which had the job of monitoring everyone walking by their fortress. What a waste of money-but who will protest. At the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 we all watched as law enforcement officers casually dressed up in their protective suits. Meanwhile the "shooter" continued on his sick rampage. These are the same well paid guys who miss every warning-Saudis learning to fly but not land-"my son is a terrorist", etc..etc.. Knocking down the wrong doors-blacked out vehicles. Our own SS-how cute. I mingle with these types and am always amused how racist and uninformed they are. They brag of their exploits and thefts of personal property. Sometimes soldiers who served in Iraq-but now we are the "insurgents". And treated the same way.
4
Do you have a problem with guns? Because the Second amendment people think they should be everywhere. If anybody can carry an AR15 down the street, why are you implying that the FBI showing up with guns is government intimidation? Maybe they were just hanging around shining their weapons when they got called to work? How is that government intimidation>?
BOOZ Allen? That could be part of the problem right there. No, but seriously, it's amazing how our laws now takes into consideration almost anything that someone does illegally and the judge is now empowered to make him/her eligible for the American Medal of Freedom.
It's extremely obvious he broke serious federal laws. But this is just like possession of drugs. Any person caught with even a few pounds of an outlawed substance would instantly be accused with intention to distribute and the burden of proof would be on him/her. But in this case, I guess he just wanted to smell the wonderful fragrance of impunity, so we dodged another bullet.
The times they are a changin'...
It's extremely obvious he broke serious federal laws. But this is just like possession of drugs. Any person caught with even a few pounds of an outlawed substance would instantly be accused with intention to distribute and the burden of proof would be on him/her. But in this case, I guess he just wanted to smell the wonderful fragrance of impunity, so we dodged another bullet.
The times they are a changin'...
2
This is what we get when we fail to educate, hire, train, and pay people well. Loyalty to country or even to a company flies out the door and it becomes every man (or woman) for him (or her) self. We treat workers like liabilties, instead of valuing them as employees. Pay them as little as possible and work them as hard as possible, them dump them as soon as they start wrinkling a little. No wonder they're willing to sell their souls to the highest bidder.
The atomization of society marches on, each one of us doing whatever it takes to make our millions and get out of the rat race. Who cares what we do to get those millions? Who cares about ethics? Morality is for liberals and poor people. Steal secrets from the government? Sure. Run your business into the ground, stiff the people who work for you, and then write it all off on your taxes? Sure. That's business. Hey, we're just trying to make a buck in a cold, hard world.
The atomization of society marches on, each one of us doing whatever it takes to make our millions and get out of the rat race. Who cares what we do to get those millions? Who cares about ethics? Morality is for liberals and poor people. Steal secrets from the government? Sure. Run your business into the ground, stiff the people who work for you, and then write it all off on your taxes? Sure. That's business. Hey, we're just trying to make a buck in a cold, hard world.
16
Unfortunately liberals vote for people like Bill Clinton who also privatized large parts of the government, and let a sweetheart deal written by Halliburton for Halliburton privatise all of military logistics on a cost plus basis for his entire eight years in office.
The"center" you liberals love so much is he'll bent on selling off our entire government.
Every election we are told that we must follow the independents to the right to win elections. This year the media ignored independents because they were voting for Bernie.
The fake corporate mass media/Washington "center" is not where the middle of the country is, it's where they want the middle of the country to be. It is a lie.
A majority of the country wants to tax the super rich to pay for infrastructure, nearly free renewable energy to stop global warming, universal single payer healthcare, subsidized education, and for free supreme court to understand that Corporations are not People and Money is not Speech.
Clinton has already taken much of that off of the table, and will soon be saying the Republicans won't let her do any of it. But she will get her intelligence surge.
Liberals wonder why republicans vote again their self interest while they do the same thing.
Vote Green.
The"center" you liberals love so much is he'll bent on selling off our entire government.
Every election we are told that we must follow the independents to the right to win elections. This year the media ignored independents because they were voting for Bernie.
The fake corporate mass media/Washington "center" is not where the middle of the country is, it's where they want the middle of the country to be. It is a lie.
A majority of the country wants to tax the super rich to pay for infrastructure, nearly free renewable energy to stop global warming, universal single payer healthcare, subsidized education, and for free supreme court to understand that Corporations are not People and Money is not Speech.
Clinton has already taken much of that off of the table, and will soon be saying the Republicans won't let her do any of it. But she will get her intelligence surge.
Liberals wonder why republicans vote again their self interest while they do the same thing.
Vote Green.
4
Hey, JMcGloin, I have voted Green pretty consistently since the Green Party emerged, and worked on its campaigns -- so don't make assumptions. But the Green Party has also consistently failed to get into power, consistently failed to organize itself in any meaningful way, and consistently failed to get much of anything done. It can't raise money, because it repels many wealthy donors whose incomes depend on despoiling the environement, so it needs to build a stronger grassroots base, start concentrating on local and state races and pull together a strong national organization first, instead of popping up every four years to run a doomed presidential race.
Oh, but remember, Republicans have been telling us for thirty years that business does everything so much better than government.Three cheers for privatization and sub-contractors.
23
LOL, if you honestly think that nobody in the government or military has ever done anything like this, I have a bridge in Arizona....
1
Why in heaven's name does the N.S.A. rely on subcontractors? Intelligence is too serious a matter to risk by being involved with subcontractors. Maybe provision of highly technical services can be handled another way!!! Yes, perhaps through a government agency ; it is bureaucracy I know, but just look at this mess!
12
Government agencies have government managers that get a reasonable salary, to manage union employees that get paid a reasonable salary.
No one can get rich like that. They must privatise so that share holders and CEOs can siphon millions from the government while minimum wage workers take care of national security.
No one can get rich like that. They must privatise so that share holders and CEOs can siphon millions from the government while minimum wage workers take care of national security.
1
I've been saying the same thing for years!
I don't see how the different agencies can keep up with the revolving door of contract employees. Plus what I consider to be one of the most important issues, how can they be vetted as well if they are contracted out?
I'm not going to turn this into a political blame game, the damage is done. But after the new congressional session starts I really wish this would be an issue they would take up and fix because it's a problem. In my not so humble opinion.
I don't see how the different agencies can keep up with the revolving door of contract employees. Plus what I consider to be one of the most important issues, how can they be vetted as well if they are contracted out?
I'm not going to turn this into a political blame game, the damage is done. But after the new congressional session starts I really wish this would be an issue they would take up and fix because it's a problem. In my not so humble opinion.
I think this shows that if someone on the inside has a mind to steal something they will find a way. Whether they steal office supplies, equipment, data or software seems to make no difference.
One has to hire smart people to do these jobs and with that comes risk. I would like to see an after action report as to what could have been done to stop this leak.
One has to hire smart people to do these jobs and with that comes risk. I would like to see an after action report as to what could have been done to stop this leak.
4
it's hilarious to see all the armchair security experts opine on what should or could or would have been done, especially if they had a say in things.
none of them seem to realize the enormous -- say it three times for emphasis -- enormous scope, sprawl, mingle, thicket, and mess of agencies, contractors, bureaus, all with shifting boundaries and overlapping authorities, that make up the US security establishment.
on the other hand, if you put a boat in the ocean, it will leak. simple as that.
on the face it appears mr. martin was a compulsive hoarder. the real issue is how he got so much physical stuff -- reports, files, disks -- past security.
mr. snowden's crimes were a foreign operation scripted to create a security stealing operative who could then publicly advocate against US security -- one of the most brilliant spy exploits in history. compared to that piece of spycraft, the packrat mr. martin is only an ironic pendant.
none of them seem to realize the enormous -- say it three times for emphasis -- enormous scope, sprawl, mingle, thicket, and mess of agencies, contractors, bureaus, all with shifting boundaries and overlapping authorities, that make up the US security establishment.
on the other hand, if you put a boat in the ocean, it will leak. simple as that.
on the face it appears mr. martin was a compulsive hoarder. the real issue is how he got so much physical stuff -- reports, files, disks -- past security.
mr. snowden's crimes were a foreign operation scripted to create a security stealing operative who could then publicly advocate against US security -- one of the most brilliant spy exploits in history. compared to that piece of spycraft, the packrat mr. martin is only an ironic pendant.
7
The US government purposely took away Snowden's passport while he was in a Russian airport trying to get to South America, just so you could say that.
1
In 1993, the Clinton administration decided to downsize the government, hence increased the use of contractors. That act certainly has not downsized anything, only work ethics, as the private sector does not do this better than the government. Also, it is more expensive & requires more people to do the job. E.g., a great number of private contracting agencies popped up, doing very well on taxpayer’s money. Also, we have federal positions of highly paid “contracting specialists” at government agencies. Contractors perform work from janitorial jobs through positions require the highest security clearances. Yet the result of working with contractors as opposed to federal government workers is proven to be inferior for both the contractor workers and for the federal government. Why? Contractors in many positions do not have any kinds of job security and benefits: e.g., they do not get paid holidays, paid sick and vacation leaves, health insurance, retirement plans, bonuses, and their jobs can be terminated immediately at any time without a reason. Among other things, they would not receive whistleblower protection that federal workers traditionally get, either. Nevertheless, many of these jobs would require hard work and loyalty, sometimes even devotion that traditionally workers exhibit in exchange for some degree of appreciation, job security and benefits. Maybe it would be constructive for everybody to rethink the status of contractors versus federal workers for our government
8
Gotta love the idea of handing intelligence operations over to the private sector. It was bad enough handing actual combat and security operations over to the likes of Blackwater, but the continued $$$ giveaways to private contractors for intelligence is just market driven madness.
9
There's a funny kind of tension here.
You have people in power trying to weaponize and control technology they don't understand, reliant on people who understand technology to do their bidding.
But they can't adequately control these technology experts, because many, as a direct result of delving deeply into hacker culture, have developed alternative ethics that run contrary to what people in positions of power want.
You have people in power trying to weaponize and control technology they don't understand, reliant on people who understand technology to do their bidding.
But they can't adequately control these technology experts, because many, as a direct result of delving deeply into hacker culture, have developed alternative ethics that run contrary to what people in positions of power want.
19
th geeks shall inherit th earth
6
They already have, just look at Gates.
2
Makes one think what "Democracy" means any more. It appears to be on its death bed and nothing short of a renaissance will revive it.
10
Could it just be that we have outsourced too much of our security operations?
14
Gees...maybe selling our country's security to the lowest bid private contractors is not such a great policy. Ya think?
14
I don't think Booz Allen is a "lowest- bid contractor". I believe they are very good at what they do, and charge for it. But they might need to screen better.
2
About half of these contracts are no bid contracts. They just go to the politically connected.
Mr. Martin's alleged violation is of a completely different category to Mr. Snowdon's. What Mr. Snowdon exposed is an example of whistleblowing, exposing corrupt, or potentially corrupt, practices on the part of security services. The alleged actions Mr. Martin appear to have been purely for self-interest. To compare them is very poor journalistic practice in my opinion.
7
My comment is in response to the many inappropriate analogies to Hillary Clinton's email. Hillary did not have source code on her email or on her server. I understand that many of you are not cryptographers. The result of that is that you do not understand the extreme difference between these two situations. Interestingly bits of source code were recently found in the hands of foreign powers. What this guy had was not a few emails about low level classified information. It is very naive to think that government servers are safe. They are vulnerable.
13
Since when do we have secret arrests in this country? Arrests are public record. I thought.
17
how many current or former NSA employees/contractors have been charged with insider trading? given the ease with which they can deposit malware allowing them to eavesdrop on corporations and executives, it seems that those working for the NSA could develop very lucrative side businesses. esp since it is not clear what the government does to deter such activity.
5
Just downloading on an electronic device ? What is bypassed to get this done? How do data downloads and dumps go undetected after repeated incidents? The point of access has a low threshold or is too easily bypassed. seems like there is a need to have surveillance of activities being conducted by each user on these networks. Random audits of data access might be helpful. Who runs and reviews random reports of what these employees and contractors access and activate everyday (just as a bank or investment firm should randomly do for traders and bankers).
5
Probably someone who profits from doing it
How strange this Country has become. Now though it tortures wiretapps, and commits war crimes it seeks to hide from the World the evidence of all this, and gets angry when they are told on.
14
Many people looking at this issue see it as someone betraying the trust of our government and dedicated public servants focused on national security.
However, that's an extremely naive approach. At the core of what we are dealing with is a national security apparatus that has been captured by corporate interests, careererists, and profiteers, turning it into a tool of an increasingly oppressive and repressive surveillance police state.
Unfortunately, at the very top of this corporatist hierarchy, instead of dedicated public servants looking out for the protection and security of the citizenry, what you really have is a coterie of corporate hucksters who pass through the revolving door of corruption--between corporate boards and government positions--at an increasingly fast speed.
However, that's an extremely naive approach. At the core of what we are dealing with is a national security apparatus that has been captured by corporate interests, careererists, and profiteers, turning it into a tool of an increasingly oppressive and repressive surveillance police state.
Unfortunately, at the very top of this corporatist hierarchy, instead of dedicated public servants looking out for the protection and security of the citizenry, what you really have is a coterie of corporate hucksters who pass through the revolving door of corruption--between corporate boards and government positions--at an increasingly fast speed.
25
What seems to be missing is a root cause analysis that should cover: who at Booz Allen recommended, interviewed, vetted and hired both Mr. Snowden and Mr. Martin; who at the NSA supervised Booz Allen from several years before Mr. Snowden to now; what outside the normal hours, dinners, shows, trade shows, etc., contacts were made by Booz Allen and the NSA and who these people were. In my humble opinion it seems that: NSA has been seriously penetrated and compromised and, Booz Allen has also been seriously penetrated and compromised and is incapable of cleaning its own house.
These people, NSA and Booz Allen, represent a serious waste of my, and everyone else's, taxes by organizations that have no responsibility to the public or to national security.
My only hope is that both China and Russia have organizations with similar levels of betrayal and that we are using them in the same way.
These people, NSA and Booz Allen, represent a serious waste of my, and everyone else's, taxes by organizations that have no responsibility to the public or to national security.
My only hope is that both China and Russia have organizations with similar levels of betrayal and that we are using them in the same way.
20
Why isn't Booz Allen contractor's contract terminated after the Snowden mess? If we don't learn from our mistakes we are doom to repeat them.
15
seems Booz Allen does not protect our secretes too well. no wonder Secretary Clinton thought it best to use her own server. it was apparently safer. is our country continuing to pay all that money to Booz?
9
Did you mean to say, "Booz Allen does not protect our secretions too well?" Or "Booz Allen does not protect our secrets?"
Both sentences are grammatically correct while saying different things and, yet, both statements somehow seem pertinent.
Both sentences are grammatically correct while saying different things and, yet, both statements somehow seem pertinent.
Realists among the security establishment know and understand that the inside man is the leak they cannot plug. Even though hacks account for a grownig number of breaches, these can be fixed. Human nature cannot. You ultimately issue a badge that grants access to the most securely held secrets. No matter how carefuully you vet a people, and the process for a "Top Secret" clarance is very thorouh, some either slip through on purpose or they change over the years and steal secrets. You can't screen for that. If you look at the big cases with the most sensitive naterials and damaging results, there is always an inside man with a badge. You can have perfect security, but no oe is allowed access.
7
Well, since we aren't "good" in the proper sense as a species, yes.
If we were proper, there would not be need for secrets. People like power over others
If we were proper, there would not be need for secrets. People like power over others
So let's tally this up:
Privatized prisons? No.
Privatized nationalized security? No.
Privatized military? No.
So when are the Republicans going to quit howling about the advantages of privatizing government? Compromising U.S. security for the illusion of saving a few dollars seems like a shockingly poor trade-off.
Privatized prisons? No.
Privatized nationalized security? No.
Privatized military? No.
So when are the Republicans going to quit howling about the advantages of privatizing government? Compromising U.S. security for the illusion of saving a few dollars seems like a shockingly poor trade-off.
15
I have to admit that a private email server seems relatively secure.
4
But Jim, it's worth it if the Republicans can funnel lot$ of money to their buddies. Maybe their buddy will return the favor someday, or that's the theory. Btw, "saving a few dollars" is not the actual goal, nor does it work, whatever they say.
2
The CIA has probably known about this guy for a while. Using the time to find the people who ran him, feeding him false info. The other side tries to confirm one spy's info against another spy's info. If they don't match than then one of them is compromised and throw to the dogs.
4
Bankers steal our money. Google steals our buying patterns. The military-industrial-security complex steals our tax dollars. Republican blowhards steal our democracy. The New England Patriots steal the football. Off-shorers steal our jobs and federal budget.
Hey, let's excoriate the little contractor.
Hey, let's excoriate the little contractor.
9
It is too early to know if this latest person is a genuine whistleblower or not, but the overuse of the Espionage Act would water down the charge in any case. I am very disappointed that Obama failed in his promise of greater transparency and protection for whistleblowers whom he encouraged to come forward when they saw government wrongdoing...saying that such acts of courage and patriotism should be encouraged rather than stifled. His prosecution of eight people under the antiquated, little used Espionage Act of 1917 since he took office when only 3 charges were ever given by all other previous administrations combined since 1789, is damning and will not go down well in history. If possible it will make the previous secretive administration of Bush-Cheney look mellow by comparison and it will certainly be seen as a ridiculous charge to level against those like Drake and Snowden and others. Bernie Sanders has stated that he supports some kind of clemency for Snowden and Eric Holder has said that Snowden performed a public service, so at least their are some who still value their sacrifices.
How to stop leaks to the press might be a question of how to eliminate those with a moral conscience in the end.
How to stop leaks to the press might be a question of how to eliminate those with a moral conscience in the end.
8
The Obama administration has prosecuted more whistleblowers than all other presidents combined.
7
Finding out exactly what information sources are accessible by the US government isn't a human right.
I want to know whether the government is using computers to punish political dissidents, for instance. I don't need to know whether Yahoo or Whatsapp or Verizon is the best way to plan a terrorist attack. Giving out that information is blowing the wrong whistle.
I want to know whether the government is using computers to punish political dissidents, for instance. I don't need to know whether Yahoo or Whatsapp or Verizon is the best way to plan a terrorist attack. Giving out that information is blowing the wrong whistle.
1
I'm not a big Obama fan but there have been more than three prosecutions under the Espionage Act of 1917. There were for example, large trials in Chicago of people like Victor Berger and Big Bill Haywood.
"Mr. Martin is suspected of taking the highly classified computer code developed by the agency to break into computer systems of adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. "
When we break into their systems, it's good. When they do it to us, the so-called 'establishment' is up in arms with "What's Obama going to do to retaliate", as if we are going to war over it.
When we break into their systems, it's good. When they do it to us, the so-called 'establishment' is up in arms with "What's Obama going to do to retaliate", as if we are going to war over it.
11
The Republican obsession to 'privatize' government agencies has nothing to do with efficiency, as falsely claimed, it is the determination to funnel public funds into private corporations who have political cronies to navigate obscene amount of our money into their pockets.
We already went through this with the Blackwater fiasco, but that did not stop politicians from channeling our tax dollars into sinister private entities.
We already went through this with the Blackwater fiasco, but that did not stop politicians from channeling our tax dollars into sinister private entities.
8
The continued "privatization" of our national "defense" agencies has continued, unabated, and obviously uncontrolled, well after they were embarrassed by Edward Snowden. We need to bring our intelligence security personnel "in-house", not continue this absurd, money wasting (at LEAST 30% more than if they were government employees) practice.
The Director of the NSA needs to be replaced, immediately.
The Director of the NSA needs to be replaced, immediately.
4
Booz Allen should be fined big time for the lack of oversight of their employee and be prevented from doing an more business with the NSA for an extended period (5 or more years). This may send a message to Booz Allen's management. Somebody in upper management must be fired, not only a lower level consultant. Hit them in the pocketbook.
5
Saw Snowden and CitizenFour recently. I am saddened that there is not more outrage over unconstitutional privacy violations by governement or anger that illegally obtained meta-data are used to drive illegal drone strikes, renderings, and plain old spying of de-humanized "targets". But I am in the minority as fear seems to trump, pun intended, any respect for privacy under the constitution. Our only hope (Obe Wan) is that companies like Apple will refuse to unlock devices, build backdoors, or share data under bogus FISA orders.
7
Problem is the young men who are ready to load pressure cookers with explosive materials and leave them in the Chelsea neighborhood of NY City aren't too concerned about their victims's lives, let alone privacy. We've let privacy concerns go in the face of fear. We have troops on the ground in many countries now. Even though it has not fully been digested in the public's mind, we are at war on many fronts.
1
Several years of blanket surveillance have failed to prevent mass shootings and crackpots with exploding crock pots, so I don't think the end justifies the means here. Besides, I believe if we want peace we must fight for justice. Justice, both globally and locally, is more likely to come from better economic and social opportunities for all than from increased military intelligence or law enforcement or gun access.
2
It seems like the NSA of any agency would monitor any saving of data or copying to any external drive, and know that it happened immediately. If someone was not authorized they could be on top of them. Seems a relatively simple thing to do to send an alert for these type of actions to the highest level of security.
2
Reporters on this story are ones to whom Americans owe a debt of gratitude, for past work. But in this story -- I know nothing of the facts -- we are given an individual's name and told that was was "secretly" arrested. May I pose a hypothetical: what if this individual is innocent? What if some craven, dishonest act within the national security establishment has determined for reasons we shall never know that this individual needs to be punished, shamed, deprived forever and irrevocably of his reputation, for reasons that the public shall never be in a position to judge?
I have no facts, other than the hearsay reported in this story. No corroboration is possible.
What are we American citizens to think of this? I shall limit myself to journalistic practices, in this case. Is THIS the way the case should be presented? -- from the lips of government insiders, forever nameless, to reporters, sworn never to reveal sources, to the eyes of ordinary Americans, outside the envelope of "privileged" and leaked information.
What are citizens to make of stories like this?
In a federal government led by Donald Trump or some other demagogue, what might be fed to eager journalists, who in turn pass it along to the American public?
How are we to assess the claims made in this story?
I have no facts, other than the hearsay reported in this story. No corroboration is possible.
What are we American citizens to think of this? I shall limit myself to journalistic practices, in this case. Is THIS the way the case should be presented? -- from the lips of government insiders, forever nameless, to reporters, sworn never to reveal sources, to the eyes of ordinary Americans, outside the envelope of "privileged" and leaked information.
What are citizens to make of stories like this?
In a federal government led by Donald Trump or some other demagogue, what might be fed to eager journalists, who in turn pass it along to the American public?
How are we to assess the claims made in this story?
4
Gosh, these sound like the very same type of computer programs we accuses Russia, China and Iran of using against the USA.
Funny how when we do it we are "protecting National Security" when anyone else does it they are "cyber-terrorists".
I guess that is what "American Exceptionalism" is all about.
Funny how when we do it we are "protecting National Security" when anyone else does it they are "cyber-terrorists".
I guess that is what "American Exceptionalism" is all about.
6
Dear Congress,
When you (elected office holders and candidates) say smaller government, the work doesn't go away.
Instead, contractors and consulting firms are hired and we end up paying so much more (financial and otherwise) than if we would have kept it in-house in the first place.
There are specific jobs that you should never outsource. FBI. CIA. Guardians of network security and data.
It's sad that I even have to point this out to you.
Stop spending YOUR time and MY money on these vindictive witch hunts. DO. YOUR. JOB. Protect the interests of the citizens that you were elected to serve.
P.S. For the past eight years, you all have taken our trust for granted. We look at you and we see ENTITLEMENT and PARTY before COUNTRY. May you all get voted out of office so that others can step in and get the job done.
When you (elected office holders and candidates) say smaller government, the work doesn't go away.
Instead, contractors and consulting firms are hired and we end up paying so much more (financial and otherwise) than if we would have kept it in-house in the first place.
There are specific jobs that you should never outsource. FBI. CIA. Guardians of network security and data.
It's sad that I even have to point this out to you.
Stop spending YOUR time and MY money on these vindictive witch hunts. DO. YOUR. JOB. Protect the interests of the citizens that you were elected to serve.
P.S. For the past eight years, you all have taken our trust for granted. We look at you and we see ENTITLEMENT and PARTY before COUNTRY. May you all get voted out of office so that others can step in and get the job done.
9
If, as estimated, the Snowden leaks cost $1B, and this new contractor leak may be equally damaging, then how can congress continue to assert that outsourcing is a money-saving and safe approach to staffing the NSA?
11
I am surprised there are so many reader comments based on so little news. I mean, not offense to the reporters of this column, who are capable journalists and manage to cobble together a background piece based on the declassified document. However, probably there are more classified documents the public doesn't know. Besides, really, part of the column is based on conjectures, assumptions and outright prescriptions. Understandably, all news outlets are in a race themselves and NYT is no different. Besides, perhaps it is a way for news media to poke at the spooks who are not about to volunteer information; perhaps writing a speculative piece will force them to make some sort of tacit admittance or outright denial. Still, 600+ comments (mine included) and counting and we haven't heard all the details and some of the readers have already made their judgment
5
"I remember when," is what my Father use to say; now I'm saying the same. Before there were computer everything was carbon paper, microfiche, copy paper, punch tape and magnetic tape for filing and storage but with the invention of the personal computer, it changed to electronically.
But with all that said and done, what the hell is our Government so secretive about and why is our Government hiding from We the People? You need to look at it this way, as Parents, we: lie, hide, keep secrets, invent stories and use fear from/to our children, well, our Government treats us the same, as children.
So, shut up, do what you're told, pay your taxes and eat your porridge......
But with all that said and done, what the hell is our Government so secretive about and why is our Government hiding from We the People? You need to look at it this way, as Parents, we: lie, hide, keep secrets, invent stories and use fear from/to our children, well, our Government treats us the same, as children.
So, shut up, do what you're told, pay your taxes and eat your porridge......
7
From the information that can be gleaned from this article, I would take a deep breath before jumping to any conclusions. There could be an innocuous reason for him to have taken the material home. For instance, 'so much work, so little time and I terribly miss seeing my family and friends enough.' I.e., he may have done what many of us in regular jobs do all the time: Take work home to catch up on what we did not finish during the day.
Surely, a spy intent on selling the code to another country would not leave it lying around his house and in his car! That sounds more like Hillary Clinton, who had sensitive material on her home server, but never thought about securing it. Now we have a contractor who unfortunately is not running for president and who therefore can be made a sacrificial lamb.
Quod licet iovi non licet bovi.
Surely, a spy intent on selling the code to another country would not leave it lying around his house and in his car! That sounds more like Hillary Clinton, who had sensitive material on her home server, but never thought about securing it. Now we have a contractor who unfortunately is not running for president and who therefore can be made a sacrificial lamb.
Quod licet iovi non licet bovi.
9
Not really. Unlike our next president and this contractor, I don't take documents with me that I'm not supposed to, period. If I'm that busy, I stay at work, or take alternate assignments home. Silly me, following rules.
2
How about equal treatment by the law then, Pam. I have not seen Hillary Clinton led away in shackles. Shouldn't she be sharing a cell with that poor sod then?
How do you get to be an Admiral without ever going to sea? Ask NSA's fearless leader Michael Rogers. Because from what I read, he never has.
The guy is a glorified cryptologist. which is one step up from the guys who create crossword puzzles.
Rogers main goal at the moment seems to be creating a lucrative sinecure in the private consulting sector. Does the name Booz Allen ring a bell?
At any rate, I hope there's an opening there for him soon. The sooner Rogers is out of the Navy, the better for the Navy--and America.
The guy is a glorified cryptologist. which is one step up from the guys who create crossword puzzles.
Rogers main goal at the moment seems to be creating a lucrative sinecure in the private consulting sector. Does the name Booz Allen ring a bell?
At any rate, I hope there's an opening there for him soon. The sooner Rogers is out of the Navy, the better for the Navy--and America.
4
"How do you get to be an Admiral without ever going to sea?"
You could be a Naval Aviator who only flew patrol planes. I spent 4 years in the Navy in the 1960s and never even saw a ship let alone set foot on one.
You could be a Naval Aviator who only flew patrol planes. I spent 4 years in the Navy in the 1960s and never even saw a ship let alone set foot on one.
1
There is literally no way, and I do mean literally, that a super-agency the size of the NSA, with its huge number of employees and contractors, can control the information it gathers or its confidentiality. Nor its eventual uses, for a nice little thought to mull. Thousands of employees of both the NSA and its contractors move between government and for-profit work, taking what they know with them. No one has confidentiality, no information is secure, and there in no oversight of all these sprouts, tendrils, and growths of the security state and the many individuals doing their wills in it. For a sobering report, see this:
https://www.thenation.com/article/how-private-contractors-have-created-s...
https://www.thenation.com/article/how-private-contractors-have-created-s...
5
These security breaches occur when the vetting is performed poorly, those vetting this man should be considered for dismissal. Punish the sinner, but eliminate those who claimed him holy.
3
I'm glad we didn't rely on the contractor model to fight World War II. I don't understand why we continue to rely on it now. Our government seems to be living in the 20th century when it comes to cyber and tech issues.
3
The more I hear about the NSA and other government agencies having their servers hacked, or information stolen by contractors, the more reason I have to think that Hillary Clinton did a smart thing keeping her e-mails on her own private server.
7
That's why Colin Powell did the same, and advised Clinton on doing so too. The Department of State server is notorious for getting hacked, also, as are other departmental servers. See online for more on this.
2
That is not true. Colin Powell did not have his own server. He used AOL for personal email only.
2
I could be wrong but I would imagine most of these contractors are republicans who want to starve decrease spending, but they're the first ones to line up for $/military entitlement programs. Always seems so hypocritical to me.
5
Yet another example of our trillion plus failed Police State Boondoggle. The NSA and other 3 letter agencies had plenty of time to track the doings of their ex-spouses, former girlfriends or look for photos of the hottie next door to actually try to secure their data. Snowden had a very powerful motive to inform the American people of illegal surveillance by their government, it is not so clear that releasing the code for foreign surveillance programs is in the public interest.
8
Snowden's claim to whistle blower status would be more persuasive if he had not released documents that describe foreign intelligence sources and methods that have minimal effect on US citizens or legal residents. Even better would have been to try to take advantage of the legal whistle blower provisions available to him.
The US has 5.1 million people holding 'security clearances. All of them were cleared by tens of thousands of outside contractors for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Cleared personnel share different levels of access and trust but the fact is that there are so many clearances and so many people that no agency could actually keep reasonable track of the whole enterprise.
We are suffering the fate of empire. Our military interests are too global, too deep and too complex to serve or protect anyone but the army of contractors who take unknown amounts of black budget money and process it into profit and problems. For the rest of us there is the disturbing reality that we are all being watched, that privacy is dead and that we are less secure than ever before.
Our national legislature is broken and its ruptured fragments are for sale to the highest bidders. The Presidency is solidly fused to the military and to the intelligence community so that there is little room or reason for a US President to object to matters of espionage and, in the case of drone strikes, extrajudicial execution (with all it collateral damage).
Empires bloat and die by corruption disguised as military defense. The disease drains away the lifeblood of money and infects and corrupts the civic minds of every citizen until we stand, as we do today, surprised by almost nothing that happens in Washington or its tentacle states, and, as a divided electorate, staring into the abyss of fascism.
We are suffering the fate of empire. Our military interests are too global, too deep and too complex to serve or protect anyone but the army of contractors who take unknown amounts of black budget money and process it into profit and problems. For the rest of us there is the disturbing reality that we are all being watched, that privacy is dead and that we are less secure than ever before.
Our national legislature is broken and its ruptured fragments are for sale to the highest bidders. The Presidency is solidly fused to the military and to the intelligence community so that there is little room or reason for a US President to object to matters of espionage and, in the case of drone strikes, extrajudicial execution (with all it collateral damage).
Empires bloat and die by corruption disguised as military defense. The disease drains away the lifeblood of money and infects and corrupts the civic minds of every citizen until we stand, as we do today, surprised by almost nothing that happens in Washington or its tentacle states, and, as a divided electorate, staring into the abyss of fascism.
19
Why don't we just subcontract out the presidency while we're at it?
6
The repubs are in the process of attempting that.
3
While the headlines are tantalizing, the affidavit makes clear that the alleged criminal violation is nothing more than taking Top Secret documents home -- evidently a no-no. Sure, we can extrapolate. But at this point, there are way too many unanswered questions to assume this is simply another Snowden ordeal in the making.
7
If you really want to be shocked, look into what Booze Allen Hamilton charges the US Government per year for Mr. Martin's services. I would guess about $140 an hour plus 40 percent overhead applied to that. Take that number $196 and apply a General an Administrative rate of 38 percent, to get to $270 an hour fully burdened. Add a 20 percent fee to that or $324 an hour. Multiple $324 by 2,080 hours a year and we get $673,920 a year. I bet the overtime is close to unlimited. This is US Gov't contracting. This will destroy our country form within long before our enemies do. Look at BOD's of Booz Allan and you will see why Ike was the smartest man who ever lived.
9
Government contracting has become a game of pass the buck and hide the ball. Accountability is shirked; huge checks are cashed.
The whole point of hiring a professional contractor is the assurance of competence based on the contractor's reputation and experience. The expectation, usually spelled out in writing, is that the contractor will hire competent, honest employees to do the work.
Any time a government contractor breaches it's contractual obligations, there should be a forfeiture of the full contract price, with an adjustment for the value of the work actually delivered.
It appears that government contractors have become the Trojan horses of our enemies and self-styled freedom fighters like Snowden, who appoint themselves to right their perceived wrongs by stealing national secrets and inflicting untold damage on the nation.
Espionage during wartime is a capitol offense. Why are we afraid to prosecute traitors? Have we turned into a nation of wusses?
The whole point of hiring a professional contractor is the assurance of competence based on the contractor's reputation and experience. The expectation, usually spelled out in writing, is that the contractor will hire competent, honest employees to do the work.
Any time a government contractor breaches it's contractual obligations, there should be a forfeiture of the full contract price, with an adjustment for the value of the work actually delivered.
It appears that government contractors have become the Trojan horses of our enemies and self-styled freedom fighters like Snowden, who appoint themselves to right their perceived wrongs by stealing national secrets and inflicting untold damage on the nation.
Espionage during wartime is a capitol offense. Why are we afraid to prosecute traitors? Have we turned into a nation of wusses?
2
It seems that this comment section is full of those who are either ignorant, and just don't know the fact that security clearances are still granted by the Federal government (the investigation is conducted by a government organization as well), OR this comment section is being utilized as a soapbox by people who don't actually care about what happened, and they are just taking advantage of this unfortunate event in order to push their "privatization is bad. mmmkay?" agenda.
Something tells me that the majority of these commenters can be classified by the latter.
With that being said, how is it that a wonderful government organization, the Office of Personnel Management, allow for the information of 21.5 million to be exposed and stolen?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/us/office-of-personnel-management-hack...
Something tells me that the majority of these commenters can be classified by the latter.
With that being said, how is it that a wonderful government organization, the Office of Personnel Management, allow for the information of 21.5 million to be exposed and stolen?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/us/office-of-personnel-management-hack...
3
I would encourage everyone to watch Citizen Four (forget the Oliver Stone flick!)
not sure if NYTimes allows links, but you can search for it on the "Thought Maybe" site.
not sure if NYTimes allows links, but you can search for it on the "Thought Maybe" site.
My word, I just "made a mistake" and if I could I wouldn't do it again. He obviously doesn't have Hildabeast's inside help at FBI / DOJ. Any bets he's an R? If Hildy gets off NO ONE should ever serve time for violation of U.S. Codes!
13
So he had no intent to commit a crime-just to help the USA. No crime. Just ask Comey re Clinton et al.
13
Don't overlook that by using Contractors like Snowden, the Govt. no longer has to honor it's "Whistleblower" protections. Snowden is unable to use them, for precisely that reason, and as a consequence, he'll have no defense to violating the Espionage Act. I long for the past when a Govt. Worker knew that his oath to the Constitution, and the Rights it guaranteed, took precedent, and if the Govt., his Supervisor or any politician's actions violated that and if asked to participate, he refused and spoke up, he was protected fully, thanks to that Constitution.
4
This is complete and utter garbage. All whistleblower protections extend directly to contractors. there are 1800 numbers and you can be anonymous.
So amazed that people still side with the government and its illegal search and seizure without probable cause and without a warrant over the whistle-blowers.
It's like, how would you NOT let the government become the exact thing that the colonies broke away from if you don't have whistle-blowers? How do you claim "traitor" when whistle-blowers are exposing the EXACT behavior that our founding fathers broke away from in England?
We established this country on the premise of "innocent until proven guilty" and investigation upon "probable cause". Now, when those ideals are eradicated with new laws, how to we as The People protest that without whistle-blowers disclosing what goes on behind closed doors?
I don't understand how some people think...
It's like, how would you NOT let the government become the exact thing that the colonies broke away from if you don't have whistle-blowers? How do you claim "traitor" when whistle-blowers are exposing the EXACT behavior that our founding fathers broke away from in England?
We established this country on the premise of "innocent until proven guilty" and investigation upon "probable cause". Now, when those ideals are eradicated with new laws, how to we as The People protest that without whistle-blowers disclosing what goes on behind closed doors?
I don't understand how some people think...
9
No prosecutor would press charges in a case like this. ...at least, that's what I heard recently from the FBI.
13
Seems odd we are contracting out national security and in most states, incarceration of criminals. It seems there are some things the government should do with people they have on a very short leash (government employees).
7
Another victory for running the government like a business!
9
Like Yahoo huh?
5
I think outsourcing national security is probably a big mistake. The NSA should be hiring these people directly and could make the jobs more desirable than all but the most lucrative private sector jobs, with great salaries and benefits and none of the ludicrous pressures of a startup or dot-com slavery.
I imagine that the contracting mess got started during the dot com bubble in the late 1990s when nobody took cyber security seriously and contractors were used as a way around civil service limitations on salaries and hiring.
Now I've heard the security branches have trouble hiring IT talent because of drug testing requirements -- all the really talented people smoke pot and can't be bothered to fit into the 1950s personnel mold.
I imagine that the contracting mess got started during the dot com bubble in the late 1990s when nobody took cyber security seriously and contractors were used as a way around civil service limitations on salaries and hiring.
Now I've heard the security branches have trouble hiring IT talent because of drug testing requirements -- all the really talented people smoke pot and can't be bothered to fit into the 1950s personnel mold.
11
The article: "The latest leak suggests again that the unprecedented string of prosecutions has not deterred all leaks."
If I'm not mistaken, this case occurred years ago and precedes the leaks by Mr. Snowden. If so, is wrong to use this experience in evaluating recent policies and prosecutions, coming after Snowden. (I don't mean to shrug off the problem, only to lay blame where it belongs -- in earlier policies.)
If I'm not mistaken, this case occurred years ago and precedes the leaks by Mr. Snowden. If so, is wrong to use this experience in evaluating recent policies and prosecutions, coming after Snowden. (I don't mean to shrug off the problem, only to lay blame where it belongs -- in earlier policies.)
Come on now, this guy is now qualified to run for PotUS!
17
Let's see the guy gets arrested for having top secret materials at home. Sound familiar?
9
.
.
The New York Times has consistently rewarded Edward Snowden and Bradley (later Chelsea) Manning with sympathetic treatment. So have various media organizations.
Is it any wonder that others follow in their footsteps, taking from their employer things that are not theirs to take?
Maybe the security detail guarding the US supply of gold should start taking some ingots for themselves, or for distribution to reporters. Some media outlets would portray them as heroes for doing so, I imagine.
.
The New York Times has consistently rewarded Edward Snowden and Bradley (later Chelsea) Manning with sympathetic treatment. So have various media organizations.
Is it any wonder that others follow in their footsteps, taking from their employer things that are not theirs to take?
Maybe the security detail guarding the US supply of gold should start taking some ingots for themselves, or for distribution to reporters. Some media outlets would portray them as heroes for doing so, I imagine.
5
All this article tells me that is confirmed is that this guy took his work home with him.
16
Which is illegal when you are working with material(s) that are classified...
9
Really? We have a presidential candidate that didn't know that.
9
Now that we have the "Clinton Defense" for the unauthorized possession, transmission, and illegal storage of classified information, this guy has nothing to worry about. Clearly the FBI will not be able to determine any intent, so he did nothing wrong.
10
I'm largely uneducated in the realms of International cybersecurity and espionage. So forgive me for asking the obvious question: Why are contractors in the position to do hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and undermine the cybersecurity of the United States? Is anyone or thing accountable?
6
Because the contractors are investigated by the Federal government, and then they are granted security clearances the the Federal government.
1
From the FBI complaint:
"Neither MARTIN's residence nor his vehicle was an authorized location for the storage of classified information."
Too bad for Martin that he didn't have a mansion in Chappaqua or that his last name wasn't Clinton.
"Neither MARTIN's residence nor his vehicle was an authorized location for the storage of classified information."
Too bad for Martin that he didn't have a mansion in Chappaqua or that his last name wasn't Clinton.
10
The NSA contractor has offered to give the FBI his laptop and all evidence of his crimes on the condition that the FBI will grant him immunity and destroy all evidence. This is now known as "The Clinton Deal."
12
This is what comes of outsourcing government functions to private contractors, it is always a mistake!
7
The vast majority of the cases are from government employees. Even contractor cases reveal serious defects on the part of GS employees.
1
At what point will it dawn on the government officials/leaders that bringing in civilian contractors to work on [highly] sensitive and classified material just cannot be done? There has to be a way to incentivize potential recruits for military careers. Possibly consider bringing back an updated version of the Direct Commission Officer used in WWII - "...Civilians who have special skills ... receive what are called "direct commissions." These officers usually occupy leadership positions in the following areas: ... intelligence...". (wiki)
Doing so would make each a government employee not a contractor; afforded more career protections.
Doing so would make each a government employee not a contractor; afforded more career protections.
5
Well, Hillary, someone with years of experience, made classified mistakes that would have gotten anyone else, not only arrested, but their security clearance revoked. He should use the Clinton defense.
5
Why do you think it matters who signs a person's paycheck? Look at the many spies who have worked directly for the government. It's a matter of personal integrity. People are accountable for their actions, regardless of who employs them. In some cases, hiring contractors is good business. But in many cases, it just allows costs to be shifted to get workers into the budget, but adds lots of waste to the wages paid.
I think they already do this for Engineers. They hire them on as Engineering Duty Officers in the Navy. It could be extended to intelligence if it already isn't. Some of these guys can work contracts for GE then hop on assignments for the Navy back and forth. Industrial Military Complex eat your heart out ;)
So according to News Media pundits every type of cyber security has been compromised mostly by Russia but there is no way that these people got into the private email server Hillary Clinton used to store Government data by her and her aids.
No way!
No way!
5
They got into her data alright, however, as usual we get this hypocritical scenario, where he gets arrested, while the rich and powerful Hillary gets to run for the top job in the land.
9
It's the job of the liberal media not to talk about the crimes of Hillary. After all, the powers that be, want her as the next president. Who better to sell us out with NAFTA I steroids: The TPP.
5
You'd have thought they'd have stopped out sourcing by now because of this. But no, just use the cheap out source alternative and then this keeps happening.
5
It is not cheap. It's more expensive by far, as most already know is so of contract soldiers; but it's that way all over. For corporations, government contracts are the golden goose. Why outsource, then? The power of business over government, the buying of power to siphon our taxes at will.
2
There is a basic problem in government agencies of all sorts in regard to those who see obvious security lapses being able to point them out in a way that actions rectified. And this is because almost by definition pointing out a flaw in the current way in which things are done is to point out that whoever is in charge is to some degree incompetent.
There is no agency where the security flaws are so extremely obvious than the TSA. Yet those flaws remain year after year and the only thing that ever causes anything to change is when a terrorist plot to exploit that flaw is uncovered.
Up until the plot to bring liquid explosives on board planes was discovered, TSA policy was that all liquids had to be in sealed bottles. So now the policy is that liquids are limited to 3oz bottles, with a limit of all that fits in a 1 quart zip lock bag. And to recombine all of the contents of the 3oz bottles is probably beyond the imagination of a terrorist.
Or that even though there is a long list of food items, such as cream cheese, that cannot be brought on board, pies that are filled with cream cheese are allowed on board. And so on. And the only way that this flawed policy will be changed is if a terrorist plot is uncovered that planned to bring explosives on inside of food.
And this is because the higher ups in the TSA do not want to hear from some underling how utterly flawed their security policies are and are not willing to admit it either. And its the same across the board.
There is no agency where the security flaws are so extremely obvious than the TSA. Yet those flaws remain year after year and the only thing that ever causes anything to change is when a terrorist plot to exploit that flaw is uncovered.
Up until the plot to bring liquid explosives on board planes was discovered, TSA policy was that all liquids had to be in sealed bottles. So now the policy is that liquids are limited to 3oz bottles, with a limit of all that fits in a 1 quart zip lock bag. And to recombine all of the contents of the 3oz bottles is probably beyond the imagination of a terrorist.
Or that even though there is a long list of food items, such as cream cheese, that cannot be brought on board, pies that are filled with cream cheese are allowed on board. And so on. And the only way that this flawed policy will be changed is if a terrorist plot is uncovered that planned to bring explosives on inside of food.
And this is because the higher ups in the TSA do not want to hear from some underling how utterly flawed their security policies are and are not willing to admit it either. And its the same across the board.
5
Sounds like he just wanted to compile the source code for his own use. But lets not pretend that's not a big deal. If this software gets out into the warez sites of the internet, it would wreck havoc with cybersecurity for years.
1
As a former employee of Booz Allen I can't say that the Booz culture permits this type of criminal behavior; rather, they were pretty diligent in counter intelligence training, security awareness, and the use and storage of classified material in our SCIF. Unfortunately, you get a couple of bad guys in the mix sometimes. I wonder how much both employees were paid by the federal government as BAH employees? Finally, perhaps some supervisors or senior officers should fall on the sword for these type of breaches.
49
Fall on the sword? Never happen. Not one corporate executive has done the perp walk or gone to prison for the greedy debacle of 2008. These guys and gals should be taken out. Selling is what America's always been about and it will always be that.
Having worked in the Fed myself - when do supervisors or senior officers get pushed to fall on their swords? Only if their boss is embarrassed sufficiently but usually some low ranking sheep who was hardly if at all involved but that is not what the public is told.
These jobs should really be government - not contracted to companies just ripping the US taxpayer off. The Booz Alen employees I met often had no real critical skill to justify contracting the work out but the contractors misrepresent themselves as just doing that.
These jobs should really be government - not contracted to companies just ripping the US taxpayer off. The Booz Alen employees I met often had no real critical skill to justify contracting the work out but the contractors misrepresent themselves as just doing that.
I would like to know if BAH changed anything after Snowden, so that something similar did not happen again? Such as their vetting of employees; periodic review of the clearance granted, etc.
I'm sure he will get the same treatment that Hillary got in regards to handling national secrets.
10
Oh where is extreme vetting when we really need it? This Mister Martin of Maryland is obviously an Islamic radical, or Presbyterian maybe at least? And he doesn't have any of HRC"s emails? Why not? Somebody has answers, I hear. I would strongly suggest that the chief of security at NSA regularly watch The Big Bang Theory to see exactly what he's up against here.
Will Elizabeth Warren be resigning to atone for this scandalous revelation? As one of the bosses of this sprawling enterprise, she must surely have known about the misbehavior of every employee on her watch.
1
Subcontractors are only interested in one thing: profits, not the interests of our citizens. Why bother then? This country is definitely going down the drain. Health, security, and education are our basic rights. Why have a government then? Pretty soon our military will be totally outsourced as well. Maybe to Russia? Why is the government outsourcing everything? Because corporations want the business. They are the ones in charge of our tax money. Scary.
4
"Subcontractors are only interested in one thing: profits, not the interests of our citizens. "
Bureaucrats are only interested in their own pay and pensions, not the interest of other people.
Bureaucrats are only interested in their own pay and pensions, not the interest of other people.
3
Stop saying that Super Thief Edward Snowden is "in exile." He voluntarily planted himself there after running to Communist China (remember kiddies, Hong Kong is China) with his stolen horde.
Maybe Hillary Clinton is the genius for NOT using government servers, as you might as well use a colander.
4
Hang these traitors, and mandate the media to keep out of government business that concerns national security. As for the main stream media in this country, if were the puritans they purporting to be....
Booz Allen was founded on the principle of capital cronyism and many of the top managers were prior officers working for CIA and NSA. The close tie between the government and for-profit business provides a gold mine for Booz because there is a guaranteed profit margin for their contract regardless the market condition and cost. Mr. Snowden- a high school graduate turncoat, used to bill all of US taxpayers at 300 USD per hour before he turn on us as if money were not good enough. The secrets known to Booz Allen including the invention of first spyware enable and allow the company to escape from any responsibility and missteps with impunity.
5
Too much Booz and not enough Hamilton
NSA = Not Secret Anymore?
3
This is what happens when you try to save money by hiring contractors instead of investing in full time employees that are thoroughly investigated prior to hiring and fully invested in the work.
6
Thoroughly investigated? The investigation is carried out by the Federal government, and the security clearance is granted by the Federal government. Did you even know that? Did you even care to look it up? Or did you just conveniently leave that out in order to be able to push your FALSE narrative.
2
Just got in from the salt mine and saw the headline. Without reading the story, one hopes the contractor will be given all the consideration that Comey gave his benefactor HRC. When will they announce that he received money from har foundation?
8
Life sentences for traitors. Maybe that will get their attention.
4
Do you remember what America was founded on and why we left England? In case you don't we left because the government was out of control and claimed the right to search and seizure with no cause. They could come to your house, look around, and if they found anything they didn't like, you were punished.
Our founding fathers said "screw that, we can make a better society across pond" and that's what they did. They established laws that stated there could be no search and seizure of private property without probable cause (which is why the police can't search you, your car, or your home without getting a warrant from a judge - presumably, the judge will act in accordance with his oath and use "probable cause" to either issue or deny the request).
Now, we are seeing more and more laws being passed that either skirt the intent of the founding fathers, or that are being applied to an entirely unforeseen paradigm - the internet and electronic communications.
Your digital life, is still your private property and should be subject to the exact same laws as your physical property (like your home). The government should not be able to collect your personal property without either your consent or a court-issued warrant.
Without whistle-blowers, lawmakers (corporations, and those in power) could do anything they want and The People would be defenseless.
If you think that's ok, then I would suggest that you are the real traitor to America and the ideals of the founding fathers.
Our founding fathers said "screw that, we can make a better society across pond" and that's what they did. They established laws that stated there could be no search and seizure of private property without probable cause (which is why the police can't search you, your car, or your home without getting a warrant from a judge - presumably, the judge will act in accordance with his oath and use "probable cause" to either issue or deny the request).
Now, we are seeing more and more laws being passed that either skirt the intent of the founding fathers, or that are being applied to an entirely unforeseen paradigm - the internet and electronic communications.
Your digital life, is still your private property and should be subject to the exact same laws as your physical property (like your home). The government should not be able to collect your personal property without either your consent or a court-issued warrant.
Without whistle-blowers, lawmakers (corporations, and those in power) could do anything they want and The People would be defenseless.
If you think that's ok, then I would suggest that you are the real traitor to America and the ideals of the founding fathers.
5
Thank you for reminding all NYT readers of this vital history.
Americans should read more of the many, many books on the American Revolution to get a true sense of how brave those people were, and how moral. People like that are few and far between these days, and fewer still in politics. Those days will never come again.
Americans should read more of the many, many books on the American Revolution to get a true sense of how brave those people were, and how moral. People like that are few and far between these days, and fewer still in politics. Those days will never come again.
1
Putting aside the party politics of the N.S.A. situation, which this article seems to find most important and which Adm. Michael Rogers may or may not also find important, the disclosure of the Martin case could not come at a worse time.
Vladimir Putin seems determined to use cyberwarfare and more conventional naked aggression to influence the 2016 presidential election, to enrich himself and his oligarch cronies, and to raise havoc with NATO, the European Union and Syria.
Has Booz Allen Hamilton become so indispensable to the N.S.A. that the tail is now wagging the dog?
If the United States and its allies need effective cyber strategy to avert a shooting war with Russia, knowing the nuclear implications of such an event, it would be the height of national disloyalty for anyone connected with our intelligence community to play party politics now.
Vladimir Putin seems determined to use cyberwarfare and more conventional naked aggression to influence the 2016 presidential election, to enrich himself and his oligarch cronies, and to raise havoc with NATO, the European Union and Syria.
Has Booz Allen Hamilton become so indispensable to the N.S.A. that the tail is now wagging the dog?
If the United States and its allies need effective cyber strategy to avert a shooting war with Russia, knowing the nuclear implications of such an event, it would be the height of national disloyalty for anyone connected with our intelligence community to play party politics now.
3
Has Booz Allen Hamilton become so indispensable to the N.S.A. that the tail is now wagging the dog?
This is a great question. Generally speaking the government incompetence is so broad and deep that they rely almost exclusively on contractors. There needs to be balance and oversight but to think the government can do this work without contractors is just a pipe dream.
This is a great question. Generally speaking the government incompetence is so broad and deep that they rely almost exclusively on contractors. There needs to be balance and oversight but to think the government can do this work without contractors is just a pipe dream.
2
We outsourced torture to Blackwater. We outsourced espionage to Booz Allen. And we outsourced airport security to Argenbreit. Anyone else see a pattern?
29
"We outsourced torture to Blackwater."
Please cite a Times article supporting that claim.
Please cite a Times article supporting that claim.
2
Does Cheney own them all?
1
It appears that the "secure" systems of our national agencies is not as secure as first thought. In light of that, perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea for Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State kept some of her correspondence out of harm's way by using an independent trustworthy source.
As far as I have heard, there were no breaches of her emails and no incidents that could be traced back to misuse of the system by her or anyone in the department. Looks like the whole "email scandal" was nothing to worry about after all.
As far as I have heard, there were no breaches of her emails and no incidents that could be traced back to misuse of the system by her or anyone in the department. Looks like the whole "email scandal" was nothing to worry about after all.
10
It was a bad idea. One she became Secretary of state, all correspondence on that server became the property of the state department.
4
Well he should be ok because obviouslyhe made a mistake and didn't intend to do any harm. The authorities can question him without putting him under oath. Then they can give him immunity. After that allow him to destroy his laptop and emails. He should run for public office as a person who will secure our privacy, honesty and experience.
13
I'm confused. Hillary Clinton steals government property - all those emails - and irretrievably gets rid of them and nothing happens. What is the difference between her theft and this one?
18
What she did didn't rise to an indictable offense, and the GOP's own glamour girl (and gross incompetent, to say the least) Condi Rice also used a private server, as did Colin Powell.
You've been drinking the GOP bug juice again!
You've been drinking the GOP bug juice again!
1
Please check Wikipedia for the definition of "steal," then go back to Fox News where you heard the word "steal."
2
Clinton didn't "steal" her own email.
1
And privatizing national defense industries is good for the country exactly how?
7
"privatizing..." it's 'good' in the same way privatizing our natural resources has been... (sarcasm) and if the American people are SO freaked about the rest of world coming to get us, why are they also so enthusiastic about digging up all natural resources and shipping them off in trains and ships? what if 'we' actually might need it? "keep it in the ground" has more than one meaning.
3
The popcorn is in the microwave... I'm curious to see how Trump will blame Clinton for this one...
8
Some careless and less-informed commentors are trying their best to equate this to the Hillary email situation. They seem to ignore the fact that Hillary was authorized to be in possession of her emails while Mr. Martin STOLE a code that he was not authorized to possess. It is THEFT. Enough with the knee-jerking already.
10
Today, when the word 'security' is mentioned, many people hear 'wall or gun', not 'food or financial'. This distracting dialogue prevents us from focusing on the overlap of safety, security and reliability, which is where we need to be to achieve anything of lasting value.
Consequently, this same overlap correlates to another misunderstood concept, 'sustainability'. Only a holistic approach will be successful.
Semantics has now become a threat and the outcome is what we have here in this comment section. Political operatives can only exist in that grey area of fundamental misunderstanding. Technical decisions are being made by non-technical people everyday.
Do you feel 'safe' and 'secure'?
Consequently, this same overlap correlates to another misunderstood concept, 'sustainability'. Only a holistic approach will be successful.
Semantics has now become a threat and the outcome is what we have here in this comment section. Political operatives can only exist in that grey area of fundamental misunderstanding. Technical decisions are being made by non-technical people everyday.
Do you feel 'safe' and 'secure'?
1
So there are no longer any spies and traitors among us, just "leakers" like Mr. Snowden, that "heroic" young man. This is all of a piece with Trump being a real "candidate" for US President.
IMO, it's a devaluation or debasement of things once held in high regard.
IMO, it's a devaluation or debasement of things once held in high regard.
1
aren't we glad HRC used her own server since the government leaks like the Titanic.
7
Can we waterboard this guy? That's how they found out about who first told of the waterboarding. By waterboarding a guy. "Where did you hear about waterboarding, it isn't true!"
"Glug."
How do you get the work, if I wanted to become a contractor for them do I buy a powerwasher and a truck? You probably need to have a few friends to become a contractor for the...well I'm not saying Even though I don't know. Which is why I am asking but I don't want to know so don't tell me. I met a movie star once and I told everybody. No one wants to hire a loud mouthed powerwasher.
My powerwasher was dirty. So I powerwashed it and now it is beautiful.
"Glug."
How do you get the work, if I wanted to become a contractor for them do I buy a powerwasher and a truck? You probably need to have a few friends to become a contractor for the...well I'm not saying Even though I don't know. Which is why I am asking but I don't want to know so don't tell me. I met a movie star once and I told everybody. No one wants to hire a loud mouthed powerwasher.
My powerwasher was dirty. So I powerwashed it and now it is beautiful.
1
These people should be treated in a way appropriate for what they truly are - spies. Remember, the US has actually executed spies in the past. Maybe the threat of that should be back on the table.
2
If one more post describes Edward Snowden as a whistle blowing patriot I am going to puke on my keyboard. He had every opportunity to come forward thru established channels and alert the government of his findings. Instead he partnered with the Julian Assanges of the world and ran to hide in the mecca of open government.....Russia. Patriot....no. Traitor.....yes.
10
Well you better get a barf bag.
He did the opposite of Aasange. While Aasange dumps all data regardless of who will very hurt Snowden was careful not to release information that would harm people. He also offered to let the NSA redact sensitive information. They turned him down. He sacrificed his freedom to show us what the NSA was doing. Sounds like a patriot to me.
He did the opposite of Aasange. While Aasange dumps all data regardless of who will very hurt Snowden was careful not to release information that would harm people. He also offered to let the NSA redact sensitive information. They turned him down. He sacrificed his freedom to show us what the NSA was doing. Sounds like a patriot to me.
7
"He had every opportunity to come forward thru established channels and alert the government of his findings."
Huh? Oh sure, then the government would have said, gee, you're right Mr Snowden, we are doing terrible things in the name of "security" to our citizens and we will stop that at once!
Huh? Oh sure, then the government would have said, gee, you're right Mr Snowden, we are doing terrible things in the name of "security" to our citizens and we will stop that at once!
6
From Booz Allen's OWN website:
"Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading provider of management and technology consulting services to the US government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets ... Our skilled teams are shattering industry norms ..."
Is this latest incident the sort of "shattering of norms" they're touting?
"Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading provider of management and technology consulting services to the US government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets ... Our skilled teams are shattering industry norms ..."
Is this latest incident the sort of "shattering of norms" they're touting?
5
The secret clearances are given base on the past not on the future. The system developed to predict the future behavior is faulty. Therefore, it is not possible to stop these individuals who are determined to steal for political, moral and financial reasons. Also, reduce the classified information so that fewer people are given clearances.
1
Why doesn't this article mention the names of any of the prominent government and political figures who currently work or have worked in the past for Booz Allen? This is really a story about how the revolving door between politics and the profit-driven private sector enriches a few while robbing our nation.
21
The enormous size and secrecy of the nation's surveillance activities is going to make it hard to manage it well and prevent leaks:
1. More and more government activity is now secret.
2. A few years ago the WashPost reported 875,000 people have top secret clearances.
3. There are at least a dozen government organizations with spying as the major or a significant activity.
4. The DNI is supposed to oversee much of this activity, but there were five DNI's in the first five years, before Clapper settled in. And Clapper and other top officials have been willing to lie to Congress and spy on Congress itself!
1. More and more government activity is now secret.
2. A few years ago the WashPost reported 875,000 people have top secret clearances.
3. There are at least a dozen government organizations with spying as the major or a significant activity.
4. The DNI is supposed to oversee much of this activity, but there were five DNI's in the first five years, before Clapper settled in. And Clapper and other top officials have been willing to lie to Congress and spy on Congress itself!
5
Seems like the the government will have to let many new contracts to replace this compromised source code. Anyone want to bet that Booze Allen will be awarded som of these? What a win win situation. The fat hogs never have to worry that food will dry up at the trough. Ah if only I was younger.......
1
Looks more and more that Hillary Clinton made the smart choice in using a private server. As did former Secretaries of State Powell, Rice, and Albright, and many elected officials as well.
And for all of you still howling for Ms. Clinton's blood:
a) Neither she nor the other Secretaries of State or many, many elected officials did anything illegal.
b) If you want to prosecute Ms. Clinton for using a private server, we'll need to prosecute all these other officials and politicians, too - mostly Republicans, btw.
c) Ms. Clinton did not steal any secret or sensitive information
Now, let's investigate who Der Donald bribed to get away with violating the Cuban embargo and the Iran sanctions - and arrest them together.
And for all of you still howling for Ms. Clinton's blood:
a) Neither she nor the other Secretaries of State or many, many elected officials did anything illegal.
b) If you want to prosecute Ms. Clinton for using a private server, we'll need to prosecute all these other officials and politicians, too - mostly Republicans, btw.
c) Ms. Clinton did not steal any secret or sensitive information
Now, let's investigate who Der Donald bribed to get away with violating the Cuban embargo and the Iran sanctions - and arrest them together.
6
The author of this article writes ".. it is unclear whether he had political motives, as Mr. Snowden did when he exposed programs that he said violated the privacy of American citizens."
I have never heard that what Snowden did was politically motivated. What possible political motive could have been involved? The NSA is supposed to be apolitical. Who gained politically by disclosing that our government was deeply engaged in activities that were clearly unconstitutional - as even the courts have held? And although the activity began under a Republican administration it was maintained and even expanded under the next Democratic administration. No politics were involved in the disclosures.
That is not to say that the government was using their illegal activity for political purposes. That seems entirely likely.
I have never heard that what Snowden did was politically motivated. What possible political motive could have been involved? The NSA is supposed to be apolitical. Who gained politically by disclosing that our government was deeply engaged in activities that were clearly unconstitutional - as even the courts have held? And although the activity began under a Republican administration it was maintained and even expanded under the next Democratic administration. No politics were involved in the disclosures.
That is not to say that the government was using their illegal activity for political purposes. That seems entirely likely.
2
You seem to be getting confused between "political" and "partisan". Snowden's revelation were political and not partisan, they were intended to challenge the government and its policies, hence political.
definition of politics from Google:
"the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power."
definition of politics from Google:
"the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power."
This piece raises so many disturbing questions:
1. Why do the officials seem so blase about the guy they have caught with highly classofoed mateiral? Especially considering N Korea hacked Sony pictures recently, China is alleged to have hacked into Government employee data, and Russia is believed to have hacked the DNC, among other targets?
2. Why did they need For the N.S.A., "two years and hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars repairing the damage done by Mr. Snowden"? It is not like he blew up the server farms or something? It is just software programs that were considered too intrusive to people's constitutional rights, and the NSA was told to stop using them. And which one is it, hundreds of millions or billions? More laxity about serious details.
3. You say the NSA "had not experienced a mass leak until Mr. Snowden’s disclosures. He used an inexpensive bit of software to sweep up data in the agency’s Hawaii networks, undetected." Yet your story is full of insinuations about another possible leaker out there. Mass leak to the public no, but a mass leak to a foreign government or private entity seems quite likely with all the hacks, right?
Maybe it is because this piece was written by committee, but something is off about it.
1. Why do the officials seem so blase about the guy they have caught with highly classofoed mateiral? Especially considering N Korea hacked Sony pictures recently, China is alleged to have hacked into Government employee data, and Russia is believed to have hacked the DNC, among other targets?
2. Why did they need For the N.S.A., "two years and hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars repairing the damage done by Mr. Snowden"? It is not like he blew up the server farms or something? It is just software programs that were considered too intrusive to people's constitutional rights, and the NSA was told to stop using them. And which one is it, hundreds of millions or billions? More laxity about serious details.
3. You say the NSA "had not experienced a mass leak until Mr. Snowden’s disclosures. He used an inexpensive bit of software to sweep up data in the agency’s Hawaii networks, undetected." Yet your story is full of insinuations about another possible leaker out there. Mass leak to the public no, but a mass leak to a foreign government or private entity seems quite likely with all the hacks, right?
Maybe it is because this piece was written by committee, but something is off about it.
3
I am sure the NYTimes editorial board will figure out a way to blame Trump for the NSA leak
9
Trump? You mean that guy who was encouraging Russian hacking of our secrets?
4
Yup, another brilliant Republican idea.....we will get contractors to do this work. They are much more efficient!
I think if the Communist Party USA sympathizers were purged from society then it would go along way in defraging the main frame computer system. Their documented arrest in just about every #Blacklivesmatter protest video leads me to think there is a pattern, Lake Mead. Their motto, "Revolution Nothing Less" should be taken more seriously, don't you also think?
Do you have a source for this statement:
"For the N.S.A., which spent two years and hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars repairing the damage done by Mr. Snowden, a second insider leaking the agency’s information would be a devastating blow."
"For the N.S.A., which spent two years and hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars repairing the damage done by Mr. Snowden, a second insider leaking the agency’s information would be a devastating blow."
1
Even the fortune 500 company I worked at blocked the ability to copy documents to electronic devices. Sounds like the NSA needs to tighten up their security.
3
It's okay. I'm sure he is probably a friend of Hillary's and didn't know it was classified or top secret. He had no intent to break the law.
3
Yeah, it's not like encouraging Russian hackers to steal U.S. secrets, right?
Keep it up. We need to know more about Stingray and other evil programs that are taking our personal information and turning America into a police state.
2
I guess there's no putting the genie back in the bottle, but us latter-day Luddites can take some bows for not getting on the "Let's computerize EVERYTHING! Gee, ain't it swell!" bandwagon. If it can be put on a computer, it can be hacked. stolen, manipulated and put to a bad use. Don't we get that yet?
9
I think Booz Allen should be held accountable for not properly pre-qualifying and continuing to do so for their contractors.
I also believe that traitors like Snowden and Martin should be executed, regardless of their lame excuses for stealing such documents. We are too soft on these traitorous thieves.
I also believe that traitors like Snowden and Martin should be executed, regardless of their lame excuses for stealing such documents. We are too soft on these traitorous thieves.
2
It is a very sad day when our government persecutes whistle-blowing patriots like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning for exposing government crimes, when it secretly arrests people, maintains secret prisons, tortures prisoners and holds prisoners indefinitely without trial, or when it euphemistically calls them "detainees". That is NOT what our Constitution represents, and it is NOT what I wish to support with my tax dollars.
87
Don't be naïve when involving National Security issues. What Snowden and the likes did were to assist China and Russia to beat U.S. without them even sending spies or spending any efforts.
Thumbs way up David Booth on this post!
My understanding is that Snowden exposed the government surveillance at home and abroad that is very different from exposing secret arrests, prisons and torture. Please provide more concrete evidence (other than the horrible and hardly secret Guantanamo) of this accusation.
Its funny to me that they can catch these kind of guys and girls and prosecute them but not Hillary Clinton who has done far worse than this man has.
5
Your comment reeks of ignorance and political bias. If you cannot tell the difference between this guy's actions which involved stealing highly classified materials that he had no right to possess and Clinton's use of a private email server, then an attempt to educate you about that difference will be a total waste of time.
8
Ditto.
I have no major heartburn over Snowden. I think he performed a valuable service.
That said, it's time to get rid of contractors. If you need workers, clear them (via DHS or FBI non-contract employees), hire them, and pay them well. Instead, we're paying contractors double what we would pay employees and run the risks described here. This is not to say there are no security issues with employees. Over at Wikipedia, there's a surprisingly long list of security breaches. But I would argue that overhauling clearance, hiring and pay would address many earlier risks. (Or not. But I still think contracting is a waste of money.)
This next comment may or may not apply to the NSA. It's also long past time to get rid of the dead wood in the federal government. If you've ever worked for the USG, you know the ones. The perpetual GS13s and GS14s who are retired in place. The ones whose standard response to everything is "no," because to say yes might require some initiative. Even SES. Keeping these folks in place results in morale problems and stagnation below. We argue sometimes that they represent institutional memory. No more. Twenty years of service, age 50 or 55, and it's out. Or, better, up or out, as it used to be (still is?) at the State Department.
And while I'm on my rant, term limits on members of Congress, and a reformulated schedule of pension benefits that is more in line with the so-called average American.
That said, it's time to get rid of contractors. If you need workers, clear them (via DHS or FBI non-contract employees), hire them, and pay them well. Instead, we're paying contractors double what we would pay employees and run the risks described here. This is not to say there are no security issues with employees. Over at Wikipedia, there's a surprisingly long list of security breaches. But I would argue that overhauling clearance, hiring and pay would address many earlier risks. (Or not. But I still think contracting is a waste of money.)
This next comment may or may not apply to the NSA. It's also long past time to get rid of the dead wood in the federal government. If you've ever worked for the USG, you know the ones. The perpetual GS13s and GS14s who are retired in place. The ones whose standard response to everything is "no," because to say yes might require some initiative. Even SES. Keeping these folks in place results in morale problems and stagnation below. We argue sometimes that they represent institutional memory. No more. Twenty years of service, age 50 or 55, and it's out. Or, better, up or out, as it used to be (still is?) at the State Department.
And while I'm on my rant, term limits on members of Congress, and a reformulated schedule of pension benefits that is more in line with the so-called average American.
3
"It's also long past time to get rid of the dead wood in the federal government. If you've ever worked for the USG, you know the ones. The perpetual GS13s and GS14s who are retired in place. The ones whose standard response to everything is "no," because to say yes might require some initiative."
Doesn't it practically take an act of Congress to get rid of some useless, parasitic bureaucrat who has been promoted far beyond their level of competence?
Doesn't it practically take an act of Congress to get rid of some useless, parasitic bureaucrat who has been promoted far beyond their level of competence?
1
Wow. Since when is secret arrest and detention of a U.S. citizen by his own government legal?
What's going on in this country?
What's going on in this country?
2
A secret detention would mean, he had no access to either an attorney or to a court. This is not the case here. It is quite common, and always has been during a sensitive ongoing criminal investigation to keep the proceedings quiet.
2
seems like the fbi is looking for another soft landing..."harumph, not like a snowden"...who foxed the henhouse.
doesn't look like an espionage case, is the hip shot, yet, of course, of course, a caveat of course...but jumping to conclusions is just so much fun!
why not just give the man immunity and, be sort, of done with it?
doesn't look like an espionage case, is the hip shot, yet, of course, of course, a caveat of course...but jumping to conclusions is just so much fun!
why not just give the man immunity and, be sort, of done with it?
1
"A large percentage of the materials found in his house and car contained highly classified information."
What does this even mean? What materials? Wood, plastic salami? Writing is a skill, not an accident. Practice or seek professional guidance.
What does this even mean? What materials? Wood, plastic salami? Writing is a skill, not an accident. Practice or seek professional guidance.
2
From the Criminal Complaint:
Count 1. Theft of Government Property.
Count 2. Unauthorized Removal or Retention of Classified Documents or Materials by Government Employee or Contractor.
F:rom the article: "There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country."
Sound familiar?
Perhaps Mr. Martin should retain David Kendall and Cheryl Mills as his lawyers, and then hope the investigation is handled directly by James Comey.
I can't wait for Mrs. Clinton to opine on how horrible the actions of Mr. Martin were, and how he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law............
Count 1. Theft of Government Property.
Count 2. Unauthorized Removal or Retention of Classified Documents or Materials by Government Employee or Contractor.
F:rom the article: "There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country."
Sound familiar?
Perhaps Mr. Martin should retain David Kendall and Cheryl Mills as his lawyers, and then hope the investigation is handled directly by James Comey.
I can't wait for Mrs. Clinton to opine on how horrible the actions of Mr. Martin were, and how he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law............
3
The rush to privatize everything serves only the interests of businesses, corporations, and consultants while putting the interests of the public at risk. Employees responsible for protecting national security and for administering any government programs should be screened and hired by our own government. We have to put an end to farming out our national security to businesses whose mission is to increase profits rather than protect the United States.
3
There are many in the comments who are disparaging the use of contractors, but it seems the contractors are the ones with a conscience. Indeed, without these leaks, we would all be blissfully unaware as to the liberties that the NSA and other government agencies feel free to take with out civil rights. Keep up the good work!
1
Exactly why Snowden and his fellow traitors need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law plus 50 years!
We're worrying about terrorists with bombs and these guys are worse that overt terrorists. With them at least you have a target to hit.
NO ONE has appointed Snowden or this guy or anyone else to be the one who decides what gets out to the public. It's not their duty and it certainly isn't their job. Snowden better learn Russian really well because he's going to be there for a very long time.
We're worrying about terrorists with bombs and these guys are worse that overt terrorists. With them at least you have a target to hit.
NO ONE has appointed Snowden or this guy or anyone else to be the one who decides what gets out to the public. It's not their duty and it certainly isn't their job. Snowden better learn Russian really well because he's going to be there for a very long time.
2
If I were the NSA, CIA, FBI, or any other agency where security and some secrecy are required, I would review every contract, contractor, and contact with every private sector contractor, think tank, and software vendor and developer on the rolls. The vetting of contractor personnel working on projects for security-oriented agencies should be done by the FBI and NOT solely by the companies supplying the personnel.
If this is already the case, forgive my ignorance of procedure, but those background checks clearly need to be more thorough. The agencies need to review and revise their own procedures for the management and supervision of contractor personnel and data security.
If this is already the case, forgive my ignorance of procedure, but those background checks clearly need to be more thorough. The agencies need to review and revise their own procedures for the management and supervision of contractor personnel and data security.
26
Gaining clearance for compartmentalized information is not an easy process, it takes about 2 years. Everyone you have ever known and everyone they have ever known are interviewed, as well as other background research. You also face a lengthy polygraph interview. These background checks are conducted by Homeland Security, not the temp agency.
The government vets the contractors and the standards are plenty vigorous. The oversight and accoutability by GS employees is severely lacking.
1
Frank, and Probatius: Thanks for the additional info. I feel a bit better informed now. Seems we still need to tighten up the process or, more likely monitor those with such access much more closely.
Regardless of who handles this sensitive information, as long as they are human then this info will be leaked one way or another.
Me automation seems in order, gotta get rid of those pesky humans. Maybe the govt can team up with Uber?!
Me automation seems in order, gotta get rid of those pesky humans. Maybe the govt can team up with Uber?!
1
Security is only as strong as it's weakest link. NSA, TSA, CIA, FBI or Kardashian body guards included.
6
It's a very sad day indeed when spys and traitors such as this guy, Snowden, Manning, etc. are not quickly tried, and if convicted, imprisoned for life or executed. Clearly this nonsense about a higher calling and martyrdom is pure obfuscation - it's blindness to what's right in front of us.
9
So our government secretly spying on its own citizens a la big brother is just fine with you. I would consign you to the slagheap of history. I am thankful that Snowden was willing to risk his life and his freedom to inform Americans of what their government is doing to them.
BTW, I am an American living in a foreign country so everything I do online is fair game for the NSA, so I just assume everything I say and do is at least examined by a program so see if any of many, many keywords occur in it. Just the fact that I used NSA's initials probably means some poor slob in a basement at NSA has to examine this text to see what kind of criminal things I might be plotting. Hi there NSA!
BTW, I am an American living in a foreign country so everything I do online is fair game for the NSA, so I just assume everything I say and do is at least examined by a program so see if any of many, many keywords occur in it. Just the fact that I used NSA's initials probably means some poor slob in a basement at NSA has to examine this text to see what kind of criminal things I might be plotting. Hi there NSA!
1
Thus spake our "government spokespersons".
I remember the statements of "government spokesperson" Clapper on 3/12/13.
Have we heard Mr. Martin's statement yet ?
Methinks "our government" is embarrassed again & is responding, as they have in the past, in a rather jejune manner.
I remember the statements of "government spokesperson" Clapper on 3/12/13.
Have we heard Mr. Martin's statement yet ?
Methinks "our government" is embarrassed again & is responding, as they have in the past, in a rather jejune manner.
4
They do not 'spake' madam. They "speak'.
And this "The government is allowed to charge people and bring them before a court in secret." Secret trials. In the U.S.! My gawd this country has changed during my short life of 74 years.
1
He's not an "insider," but a contractor. This is Congress' fault for failing to fund the Intelligence Community sufficientlyso that it can hire its own employees to do the essential work that the people demand of it.
4
Waiting for the news that the FBI has granted him immunity in exchange for allowing them to review any "stolen" data and agreed to drop all charges if he admits he really didn't mean to do it.
Is it too late for the accused to get a job as a special assistant to Hillary?
The FBI? what a joke.
Is it too late for the accused to get a job as a special assistant to Hillary?
The FBI? what a joke.
13
Yes, Albert....perhaps we should ask Mr. tRump what he'd do...he seems to have convinced a number of rubes that he is "smarter than everyone...."
3
Yes, well Hillary has me convinced thet she is a criminal. If intended then for once I am inclined to believe her.
3
hey I know someone who was very loose with national security info !! she is running for president !! did you ehar about her?? maybe the FBI should investigate !! oh wait, they already did.. she just said she didn mean too and what does it matter anyway !!
so if this person just says they didn mean to and it doesnt really matter then they walk too !! but shake that big gov finger at them and say " Now don't do it again !"
there.
so if this person just says they didn mean to and it doesnt really matter then they walk too !! but shake that big gov finger at them and say " Now don't do it again !"
there.
9
Uh well she was Secretary of State. Minor technical difference.
"...There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country.”
That's the "Hillary Clinton" defense! James Comey has defined a precedent that every person accused of espionage can and should now claim.
Hillary Clinton should be in jail based on the facts of what she did and the definition of the crime of espionage. There's no middle ground.
That's the "Hillary Clinton" defense! James Comey has defined a precedent that every person accused of espionage can and should now claim.
Hillary Clinton should be in jail based on the facts of what she did and the definition of the crime of espionage. There's no middle ground.
9
"The official said investigators suspected that Mr. Martin might have taken the material before Mr. Snowden’s actions became public."
So much for the speed of investigators. They seem to move at the pace of a turtle in a supersonic age!
So much for the speed of investigators. They seem to move at the pace of a turtle in a supersonic age!
4
Times: "The government is allowed to charge people and bring them before a court in secret."
The Times needs to explain the legal basis for that secrecy and to report the court proceedings that implemented it. The Times also needs to explain the legal status of the criminal complaint. Specifically, was the criminal complaint released legally or was the criminal complaint leaked?
2016-10-05 19:27:31 UTC
The Times needs to explain the legal basis for that secrecy and to report the court proceedings that implemented it. The Times also needs to explain the legal status of the criminal complaint. Specifically, was the criminal complaint released legally or was the criminal complaint leaked?
2016-10-05 19:27:31 UTC
12
The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC, also called the FISA Court) is a U.S. federal court established and authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to oversee requests for surveillance warrants against foreign spies inside the United States by federal law ...
Paul P.: Did you even read the article or look at the criminal complaint?
"Mr. Martin was charged in United States District Court in Baltimore."
A US District Court is not a FISA Court.
"Mr. Martin was charged in United States District Court in Baltimore."
A US District Court is not a FISA Court.
Wow, such a public display of our governments combined security triplicatocracy. Perhaps if the FBI would have indicted Hillary Clinton it would put all this treason to rest. It does no good to attempt prosecution of modern warfare without cleansing the unappreciative staff.
5
The FBI is a law enforcement agency. They don't have the power to indict. But don't let the facts get in your way.
3
That is a great big point. Now let me make another. More could have been done before Hillary even became the focus of an FBI investigation. Obama should have demanded her resignation on one of numerous occasions and then followed her out the door.
2
the FBI. it's propaganda that these guys are any good. mostly muckers watching out for their twenty.
5
And you know this to be a fact....how, Maturin?
Do you work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Have you ever worked for them, or any branch of the Federal Government?
You casually slander good men and women who work harder than you can imagine to keep YOU safe.
No, you are another guy on his couch, convinced that every one else is 'getting one over' on him.
Do you work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Have you ever worked for them, or any branch of the Federal Government?
You casually slander good men and women who work harder than you can imagine to keep YOU safe.
No, you are another guy on his couch, convinced that every one else is 'getting one over' on him.
2
The FBI should stick to protecting us against the evils of video piracy, but they do not even do that very well.
1
1- Why are we contracting out something so sensitive instead of using civil servants and uniformed personnel?
2- Given that the previous NSA director lied under oath before Congress about the nature and extent of their spying programs does not lead the average citizen to trust anything they say.
3- The continued characterization of whistleblower Ed Snowden as a criminal by bipartisan members charged with the oversight of our intelligence makes me think they are not exercising control over the NSA- they are letting it do whatever it wants. Snowden's revelations proved we were being lied to by our government and nobody with knowledge- including our President- seemed to care, and were more determined to punish him than the wrongdoing.
Our civil liberties are not government given and are not negotiable. Government is to respect our privacy and to defend it. Apparently not one person involved in the agencies involved or the politicians charged with oversight seem to care about civil liberties.
Regardless of what this man has done he deserves a fair public trial which I doubt he will get. The lawyers will invoke state secrets and it will all go behind a curtain.
2- Given that the previous NSA director lied under oath before Congress about the nature and extent of their spying programs does not lead the average citizen to trust anything they say.
3- The continued characterization of whistleblower Ed Snowden as a criminal by bipartisan members charged with the oversight of our intelligence makes me think they are not exercising control over the NSA- they are letting it do whatever it wants. Snowden's revelations proved we were being lied to by our government and nobody with knowledge- including our President- seemed to care, and were more determined to punish him than the wrongdoing.
Our civil liberties are not government given and are not negotiable. Government is to respect our privacy and to defend it. Apparently not one person involved in the agencies involved or the politicians charged with oversight seem to care about civil liberties.
Regardless of what this man has done he deserves a fair public trial which I doubt he will get. The lawyers will invoke state secrets and it will all go behind a curtain.
137
We contract out foreign military to target for our Air force and drone strikes. See the destruction of the DWB hospital in Afghanistan. Over 50% of our military operations are contracted out to private contractors. Why? War and security is big business.
Behind a curtain, certainly--although of teflon or aluminum, in its function still comparable to any of iron.
1. Contractors can supply skills that the government cannot obtain at legal salary rates, and fill staffing requirements for which agencies cannot hire employees due to legal (congressionally imposed) staffing level limits. Contractor employees are not less honest and trustworthy because of that than civil service or military personnel.
2. The Director of the NSA did not lie to the Congress; the statement refers to James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, who probably should have insisted on answering Senator Wyden's question in a secret session.
3. Edward Snowden, if he did the things he has stated publicly that he did, is a criminal. Characterizing him as such may be excessive before a trial is held, but is not outrageous. He will not get a fair trial as long as he remains away from the US, but there is no reason he could not have one if he returns. There is little reason, too, that such a trial could not be conducted publicly, since the documents at issue have, in many cases, been declassified and those that have not are no longer at risk of exposure anyhow.
2. The Director of the NSA did not lie to the Congress; the statement refers to James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, who probably should have insisted on answering Senator Wyden's question in a secret session.
3. Edward Snowden, if he did the things he has stated publicly that he did, is a criminal. Characterizing him as such may be excessive before a trial is held, but is not outrageous. He will not get a fair trial as long as he remains away from the US, but there is no reason he could not have one if he returns. There is little reason, too, that such a trial could not be conducted publicly, since the documents at issue have, in many cases, been declassified and those that have not are no longer at risk of exposure anyhow.
Why does our government have so many secrets?
5
In order to protect your freedoms and way of life
2
They have so many secrets because they make so many mistakes that they have to hide from the public.
2
So when we decided to privatize and contract out our most sensitive national security, how were we expecting that to go?
6
Right, like that time when the Secretary of State Clinton - government employee - had all the confidential information. Then things were different. For sure. Mostly. Sometimes.
3
Manning was not a contractor. Unfortunately we can't be "correct" every time. Homeland security missed some; the FBI missed some, CIA missed some. We can never be completely effective; that's the world we live in today. Little things can now cause big problems.
1
Please.Stop It. Now.
Privatization/contracting out/outsourcing of all essential government services is dangerous, harmful and extremely costly in the long run. The only people who benefit are the short sighted, profit minded, "make my money and run" companies and the shareholders they are beholden to.
The next world/global war is already in progress, and these are the new inter-governmental cyber wars with brazen Russian/Chinese Govt. supported hacking of vital computer systems in the US and elsewhere in the world. Governments are much too afraid to let their citizens know, and its highly likely to get worse. It is cyber security that will be the true test of the strength of the security and the ability of a country to defend itself in the future.
If this sounds apocalyptic, I'm afraid the news today tells me these are apocalyptic times.
Privatization/contracting out/outsourcing of all essential government services is dangerous, harmful and extremely costly in the long run. The only people who benefit are the short sighted, profit minded, "make my money and run" companies and the shareholders they are beholden to.
The next world/global war is already in progress, and these are the new inter-governmental cyber wars with brazen Russian/Chinese Govt. supported hacking of vital computer systems in the US and elsewhere in the world. Governments are much too afraid to let their citizens know, and its highly likely to get worse. It is cyber security that will be the true test of the strength of the security and the ability of a country to defend itself in the future.
If this sounds apocalyptic, I'm afraid the news today tells me these are apocalyptic times.
3
Truth is treason in the USA empire of lies. This state of affairs can't last much longer. Too many cats are out of the bag. We have some real hero's though in this country and we should thank our lucky stars.
6
Please, republicans, tell me again about how wonderful privatization is...
27
Lippity Ohmer - "Please, republicans, tell me again about how wonderful privatization is..."
Please Democrats tell us how wonderful classified information is on a private server...
Please Democrats tell us how wonderful classified information is on a private server...
4
The real problem is the use of "consulting" firms; specifically Booz, Allen, Hamilton. The contracting firms or consulting firms lack the accountability required to safeguard classified material. Edward Snowden and now Harold Martin were both Booz, Allen, Hamilton employees who apparently did not have the integrity required to be employed directly by the US Government. Consequently, they are hired by a company with lesser performance and character standards and then contracted to do top secret work. The US Government should consider ending the practice of allowing contractors access to classified information and projects.
99
I agree with Mr. John Quinn, and would like to add: I believe contracting / consulting firms are not given Whistleblower status protection, contrary to what President Obama claimed was an outlet for Mr. Snowden.
I'd suggest that we extend the Whistleblower Program, so that (in the event that the new disclosure by Harold T. Martin III) either Mr. Martin or one of his colleagues could have with US Government protection reported
a) this breach or
b) the possibility of breaches due to lax security, or
c) the violation of the US Constitution's protections of US Citizens.
Hopefully Harold T. Martin III was doing this not for profit or not by being a traitor, but for benign purposes, such as Mr. Snowden, whom I regard as a hero, who is much maligned.
I'd suggest that we extend the Whistleblower Program, so that (in the event that the new disclosure by Harold T. Martin III) either Mr. Martin or one of his colleagues could have with US Government protection reported
a) this breach or
b) the possibility of breaches due to lax security, or
c) the violation of the US Constitution's protections of US Citizens.
Hopefully Harold T. Martin III was doing this not for profit or not by being a traitor, but for benign purposes, such as Mr. Snowden, whom I regard as a hero, who is much maligned.
I hate to break it to you, but the reality is that the government can't afford most contractor subject matter experts because they don't pay enough and they are already overstaffed with incompetence.
> Consequently, they are hired by a company with lesser performance and character standards and then contracted to do top secret work
If you really think this is true, you know nothing about how the government actually operates.
> Consequently, they are hired by a company with lesser performance and character standards and then contracted to do top secret work
If you really think this is true, you know nothing about how the government actually operates.
"both Booz, Allen, Hamilton employees who apparently did not have the integrity required to be employed directly by the US Government"
Indeed, they did not have the integrity required. They had far more.
Indeed, they did not have the integrity required. They had far more.
1
I only somewhat laugh when people complain about Hillary and private server, when I say, "Looks like that was more secure than the government."
4
Hey- He made a mistake, he apologized, so let's move on...
6
Okay Mr. Comey, let's not panic, do not give Mr. Martin immunity for starters.
5
It's interesting that the biggest government secrets seem to be secrets about secrets, spies spying on spies. We've advanced from Kafka to Jean Le Care. I suppose that's progress.
2
Even if every allegation about the errant thoughts and words he called Pence out on about Trump were wrong - and we know were right - Kaine was the winner.
Trumps increasing violence against those were charged with the crime of being the children of the men suspected of being people Trump hates.
Be very careful who your father is - if he is an enemy of the United States - no - Trump.
Trumps increasing violence against those were charged with the crime of being the children of the men suspected of being people Trump hates.
Be very careful who your father is - if he is an enemy of the United States - no - Trump.
2
Cue the "Mr. Robot" soundtrack
2
In that case, it would all depend on who programs the robot and who has the capability to update its software.
1
Hillary did worse, and walks around free running for President. This poor dude will get nailed and probably spend his life behind bars. He did wrong, but if the law does not apply to Hillary, why should it for anyone?
8
All you people claiming "Hillary did worse..." appear to have missed the hundreds of column inches reporting that the FBI concluded she did nothing that can be criminally prosecuted. Do you just block it out of your mind? Or are you saying the the head of the FBI and the best investigators are lying to protect someone they clearly cannot stand?
1
Will they give him a pass like Hillary?
I suspect he didn't pay off or threaten the right people and he will go to prison.
It would seem that all people are equal, but those with money and power are more equal than others.
I suspect he didn't pay off or threaten the right people and he will go to prison.
It would seem that all people are equal, but those with money and power are more equal than others.
9
This is what you get with contractors. I would think our NSA would be safer entrusted to government employees (you know, the kind Republicans hate) rather than for-sale contractors (oh yes, private industry is so much better than public employees). But then all of those Congress people wouldn't get their freebies and campaign contributions from all of those no-bid contractors.
1
Many people seem to think Snowden was a Russian spy. Don't buy that line.
The United States government trapped Snowden in Russia by pulling his passport while he was in transit. Then Mike Rogers -- then the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee -- intimated he was a Russian spy and declared him a traitor.
You know why they pointed fingers at him?
To keep them from being pointed at them.
Rogers and other politicians (like Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee) were complicit in setting up a system to circumvent our Constitutional protections. A secret court -- the FISA court -- rubber stamp a warrant authorizing surveillance of every American without probable cause. They abided by the law technically, but displayed their clear intent to violate its spirit.
FISA = Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The NSA is charged with handling foreign intelligence. They turned their apparatus loose on us.
That's what Snowden exposed. And that's why they want him far away instead of putting on trial here in a public hearing (the Justice Department said they might consider a deal if he pled guilty before returning -- so they could lock him away from the public eye immediately).
Snowden should be given whistleblower protections -- b/c that's what his is -- but those aren't extended to the tens of thousands of private contractors working for the government.
The United States government trapped Snowden in Russia by pulling his passport while he was in transit. Then Mike Rogers -- then the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee -- intimated he was a Russian spy and declared him a traitor.
You know why they pointed fingers at him?
To keep them from being pointed at them.
Rogers and other politicians (like Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee) were complicit in setting up a system to circumvent our Constitutional protections. A secret court -- the FISA court -- rubber stamp a warrant authorizing surveillance of every American without probable cause. They abided by the law technically, but displayed their clear intent to violate its spirit.
FISA = Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The NSA is charged with handling foreign intelligence. They turned their apparatus loose on us.
That's what Snowden exposed. And that's why they want him far away instead of putting on trial here in a public hearing (the Justice Department said they might consider a deal if he pled guilty before returning -- so they could lock him away from the public eye immediately).
Snowden should be given whistleblower protections -- b/c that's what his is -- but those aren't extended to the tens of thousands of private contractors working for the government.
20
FISA requires probable cause.
Security is only as good as the people you employ
20
Snowden should be hunted down like the scum traitor he is. Self-serving little runt, decided he's smarter and wiser and purer than anyone else and now he's serving the Russian, the most repressive society in the world. He's a creep!! And now there are the copycats.
7
what is your definition of "traitor"? When the CIA director lies to our elected representatives in Congress, is he a traitor too? If not, then clearly we no longer live in a republic at all. The our government spies on us and lies about it, all involved are traitors against the people, the nation, and the Constitution. Snowden is a hero and a true American Patriot of the highest order for revealing these stark truths. Sadly, no one has the balls to do anything about it in DC.
5
Go for it tough guy! Get your ticket and head ti Russia. People like you are quick to say what should happen to Snowden, but ungrateful for the valuable information he sacrificed his life to share with us. Why are you comfortable with innocent Americans being under surveillance 24/7? Those spying on us and violating the Constitution are the real criminals!
2
Where is the intent? If I were him I'd fight the charge using the Hillary defense.
15
Is a "secret arrest" what happens before a "secret trial" followed by imprisonment in a "secret jail"? What's happened to our open society?
12
i was gonna say...."the government is allowed to (do all this secret stuff)" by who, exactly? the government? its a slippery slope...the same kind of slippery slope that allowed the Nazis to quickly take over...very very similar kind of situation, and with cops getting free vacations for murder, i dont like where this is going one bit, and no one f'in' should.
2
if the FBI can't prove intent when it comes to Hillary's statements, then how can they arrest this contractor? Seems to be two sets of rules. One for whistleblowers and one for politicians
13
1. "He said he knew it was unauthorized." So what? Unauthorized is meaningless to me. Prohibited and restricted matter. Prohibited means I can't do something while restricted means I can't do something except under specific circumstances or for specific reasons. This may parallel a certain personal email server.
2. What about a second amendment defense? From the description of the materials, they are in fact tools or weapons and not information in the typical sense. While I see the second amendment as collective in nature and a bit of states' rights, the court has clearly said it is individual in recent years.
2. What about a second amendment defense? From the description of the materials, they are in fact tools or weapons and not information in the typical sense. While I see the second amendment as collective in nature and a bit of states' rights, the court has clearly said it is individual in recent years.
3
He had classified material on a personal device.
He will be arrested and thrown in jail.
He will be arrested and thrown in jail.
11
No, "no reasonable prosecutor" would pursue these charges. I'd say this fellow has a bright future as a Democrat.
7
Unlike Hillary and her minions!!
6
So dild Mrs Clinton, still waiting for that indictment to be unsealed.
3
So if his status as an arrestee is classified, the people who provided information to the Times about this story have committed felonies. I'm not holding my breath waiting for them to be prosecuted.
6
From what I'm seeing in comments, I feel compelled to point out that NO ONE here (myself included) could possibly be qualified to comment on which citizens CAN be reliably vetted by background checks, and which CAN'T. You don't seriously think that BAH or any "contractor" gets to bypass this vetting by virtue of BAH having its corporate seal on a contract, do you?
The fact that one employee gets a DOD paycheck and the other gets one from a private contractor clearly can't be used to determine who can be trusted and who can't.
The fact that one employee gets a DOD paycheck and the other gets one from a private contractor clearly can't be used to determine who can be trusted and who can't.
5
I say, put them in the Ecuadorian embassy!
7
One of the most frustrating parts about reading reports on official US matters is how much of it comes from ambiguously labeled anonymous "officials." It throws so much shade on an already shady situation. I just don't see the merit in so easily handing your sources the title "official" if all they do is strong-arm your reporters into making unofficial statements.
6
A question for techies:
Why can't the computers holding the classified information be programmed not to allow the copying or transfer to removable media?
And why can't they be programmed not to send their classified data to any receiving address that isn't already pre-approved?
Didn't Snowden just download all that to a personal thumb drive?
Why can't the computers holding the classified information be programmed not to allow the copying or transfer to removable media?
And why can't they be programmed not to send their classified data to any receiving address that isn't already pre-approved?
Didn't Snowden just download all that to a personal thumb drive?
9
They largely are programmed that way. The problem is that you are creating doors with locks but the IT guys - mostly contractors have the keys and they quietly re lock the door when they are done. There is chasm in ability and knowledge between contractors and government employees. While 99.99% of contractors are honest, trust worthy people, the government completely lacks the skills and knowledge to prevent the 0.01% from stealing data.
2
Snowden was a system administrator, so he had the knowledge and privileges to bypass the security measures you are suggesting.
(a) Because Windows (remember, we are dealing with experts at cracking things and finding holes--sealing all *those* holes Windows' GDI *still* has and the NSA very likely wants to *use*? hah!);
(b) Because convenience (contractors want things done Yesterday and Cheap, the Executive Office wants things done The Day Before Yesterday and Cheap, and blocking the USB ports and lockdown firewalling is a great way to slow things down);
(c) Because corrupt (allowing it is a nice way to quid-pro-quo among the lower generals and middle management); and
(d) Because it's DRM, which is evil.
So instead you have to prevent a *person* from getting a computer to do this: you need either a government-loyal, Yankee-White-zealous, overbearing manager (who would make the employee leave the job), or some enticement to avoid using their innate human ingenuity (which every person has in droves) to do that (e.g. lots of money, the feeling that what the employee is securing is not a criminal program secretly turned against their fellow citizen, etc). Good luck with either.
(b) Because convenience (contractors want things done Yesterday and Cheap, the Executive Office wants things done The Day Before Yesterday and Cheap, and blocking the USB ports and lockdown firewalling is a great way to slow things down);
(c) Because corrupt (allowing it is a nice way to quid-pro-quo among the lower generals and middle management); and
(d) Because it's DRM, which is evil.
So instead you have to prevent a *person* from getting a computer to do this: you need either a government-loyal, Yankee-White-zealous, overbearing manager (who would make the employee leave the job), or some enticement to avoid using their innate human ingenuity (which every person has in droves) to do that (e.g. lots of money, the feeling that what the employee is securing is not a criminal program secretly turned against their fellow citizen, etc). Good luck with either.
1
Snowden was the last one we had. From now on its Big Brother and we can't even fight back now we will never know what they are doing.
I don't like America. I don't like what this nation has become. When even the liberals want Snowden put in the slammer you know America is gone.
I don't like America. I don't like what this nation has become. When even the liberals want Snowden put in the slammer you know America is gone.
23
Snowden? Liar, thief, sniveling coward, traitor, defector. Let him come back and face justice or rot in that paradise of liberty, the New Soviet Union.
4
The place stinks. I agree. I don't like it either.
1
Russians are as free as you are or more so.
1
What good is any FBI investigation, when their prosecution is biased.
15
Do you always believe misinformation and propaganda?
Yo, that's why we have TWO sides—prosecution AND defense. I feel certain he'll get a fair trial, perhaps more than fair if he cooperates.
1
Peggy Ledbetter - "Do you always believe misinformation and propaganda?"
Four years as Secretary of State, the highest level cabinet position in the US government, and there was NO classified information on her server or her many phones. Now that's propaganda and I'm sure you believed it!
Four years as Secretary of State, the highest level cabinet position in the US government, and there was NO classified information on her server or her many phones. Now that's propaganda and I'm sure you believed it!
1
I have a secret plan to stop these sorts of thefts. But I won't tell you what is because it is secret.
26
No doubt that the "secrets" relate to illegal conduct by the federal government against its own citizens. Isn't it funny that whistle-blowers from the private sector are held up as heroes by politicians whilst whistle-blowers of illegal government actions are swiftly silenced and jailed.
83
Too bad the contractor is not running for president as a Democrat. It is the best defense.
11
It's fun to google Booz Allen - owned by the lovely Carlisle Group, which of course used to own United Defense and currently owns Dunkin' Donuts. Isn't it a wonderful world? A little info consulting for national security, building some weapon systems and makin' the donuts. Ironically makin' the donuts is probably more complicated.
7
Thats a bit dated. Carlisle divested controlling ownership. Numerous large funds including Carlisle own Booz Allen now
Times reporters claim that for the second time in three years "an insider has managed to steal highly damaging secret information from the N.S.A."
What Edward Snowden exposed was "highly damaging"? Prove it. The information Snowden revealed was only damaging to the illegal government programs he exposed, and only "damaging" to the reputations of government officials who lied to the American people.
The Times should be very careful in throwing around terms like "highly damaging", when the truth is certainly otherwise.
What Edward Snowden exposed was "highly damaging"? Prove it. The information Snowden revealed was only damaging to the illegal government programs he exposed, and only "damaging" to the reputations of government officials who lied to the American people.
The Times should be very careful in throwing around terms like "highly damaging", when the truth is certainly otherwise.
32
It's open season out there in the cyber world. No country is immune, no system is safe. It's the world we live in - if it can be coded, it can be hacked. We hack, they hack, we all hack into each others systems - it's a global 'community'.
3
the fire sale described in Die Hard 4.0 may not be that far-fetched. might be a good time to buy a sailboat, some vegetable seeds, a couple of pigs....
1
This is what you get when you have a massive defense organization, and the Republican congress decides that there are too many government employees, and that the private sector can do it better. How about calling Booz Allen Hamilton to testify on the Hill? How about increasing the size of government to what it really needs to be to do what is required? Once again, privatization is a failure!!
17
Good luck with that. Government employees cost a lot more, you can't get rid of them and they know and do a lot less. The government is responsible for vetting, overseeing, and maintaining accountability of its contractors. In fact on classified contracts, the company (here BAH) has little contact/control of the employee.
1
Listen, I am not an IT expert but use computers enough to know that there are layers of information access in a computer that the lay person is really not aware of. The algorithms for where what is stored are deep in these recesses. So all it takes is a disgruntled IT worker who can get back to his former employer in very creative ways
3
Hey, Dude....just claim you didnt know what (C) meant......you'll get off clean.
8
"He was charged with theft of government property, and unauthorized removal or retention of classified documents"
Sound like the the same thing Hillary did.
When do they plan to arrest her?
Sound like the the same thing Hillary did.
When do they plan to arrest her?
12
Well, for one, Hillary didn't steal government property nor was she not not authorized to have access to the classified documents. She was just stupid enough to make the classified information vulnerable to a hacking threat. It's not the same thing.
It seems to me that you are the one that is stupid. A head of the state dept always has a clearance for classified material including top secret.
According to Hitlery Clinton Mr. Martin did nothing wrong since "Classified" means nothing to politicians. Looks like everyone who works in D.C. is a contractor, too. Hopefully, Mr. Martin will discuss with the public some facts on how this administration is spying on "Good Americans'"!!
3
Maybe this poor scmuck can call Hillary as a character witness!
2
The Government has been in a situation where it employs outside contractor companies to perform work that at one time was performed by federal employees. This has its own risks. There is no guarantee any human might not steal documents or remove information, but the tendency is for federal employees to be more committed to secure information. The methods to deal with employees are somewhat better.
3
Based on what? Fed employees have been resposible for more thefts and they tend to lack the skills needed for cutting edge work. When they get the skills the quit and join contractors to make real money.
1
This Harold Martin is so dumb.
Didn't he get the memo? You have to give your trove of classified documents to China, Russia, and/or Julian Assange before you can be considered a hero.
Didn't he get the memo? You have to give your trove of classified documents to China, Russia, and/or Julian Assange before you can be considered a hero.
6
The NSA employs tens of thousands of people, a large number of whom are contractors (aka "Beltway bandits"). All are polygraphed before given access to sensitive material. If only a fraction of a percent of them are untrustworthy, that's a lot of leaks. You can be sure there are many more like this individual who haven't been caught.
4
It is very concerning that security at the NSA does not have a robust tracking system that would immediately alert them of any hacking attempts, unauthorized file access and downloads as well as any major downloads from authorized users. There should be a fail-safe protocol requiring varying levels of per-authorization for accessing anything top secret or higher
In addition employees should be searched/scanned for any documents or electronic devices before they leave ...EVERY DAY. Are we that stupid? We should be overly cautious, particularly at the NSA and anything super sensitive should not even be on a system connected to the internet.
In addition employees should be searched/scanned for any documents or electronic devices before they leave ...EVERY DAY. Are we that stupid? We should be overly cautious, particularly at the NSA and anything super sensitive should not even be on a system connected to the internet.
54
While it is a complicated matter, what you suggests would seem to be time consuming and expensive.
I am not sure of the details, but the administration's budget proposal, which the GOP refused even to hold a de facto review, DID contain allocation of more money and assets for cyber security.
I am not sure of the details, but the administration's budget proposal, which the GOP refused even to hold a de facto review, DID contain allocation of more money and assets for cyber security.
2
I remember back in the day that one could NEVER leave a closed facility without anything one was caring out to be being physically searched by a guard manning the entrance/exit even if long queues were forming behind each person. That stopped when the company and the government wanted to save money by having no guards and trusting the personnel with clearances to be "honest" because one had the clearance that required a very deep background check on that person.
Even with polygraph exams every five years as a way to justify this security loophole, people still could change and take things out.
All because money was saved by not having guards and having queues forming.
It really is quite easy to take things out now.
Sad really.
Even with polygraph exams every five years as a way to justify this security loophole, people still could change and take things out.
All because money was saved by not having guards and having queues forming.
It really is quite easy to take things out now.
Sad really.
You mean that phone in my pocket, where I encrypted the files with bazillion bit RSA and would take you 44 centuries to crack and determine whether that file is either classified material or a nsfw pictures?
Let's see, cracking down and jailing drug users has solved our drug problem, the same apporach should solve this problem too. NOT!
Secrecy is incompatible with a free and open society. Perhaps if we had less classified material around it would be easier to protect?
Hey, I got a SECRET for you all: did you know that the US has been at WAR for over 10 years?
Because on based on media coverage you would think that the USA has been at PEACE the whole time.
The REAL War President:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/012.png
Secrecy is incompatible with a free and open society. Perhaps if we had less classified material around it would be easier to protect?
Hey, I got a SECRET for you all: did you know that the US has been at WAR for over 10 years?
Because on based on media coverage you would think that the USA has been at PEACE the whole time.
The REAL War President:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/012.png
2
This is the problem with giving a pass to Hillary Clinton's handling of classified material. If the rules don't need to be followed...
6
The rules only apply to "little people" not the entitled one.
1
Reality is that Sensitive Information is CLASSIFIED for a reason. Some people seem to think that is Child's Play or it is harmful to Everyone. The Truth is that more than half-the-time it is so to Protect Us.
Even worse the release of it ALWAYS PUTS someone at risk. Even All cyber security personnel of the Countries In The World know that.
Such a Foolish ACT!
Even worse the release of it ALWAYS PUTS someone at risk. Even All cyber security personnel of the Countries In The World know that.
Such a Foolish ACT!
Rather than blaming this on outsourced security and demanding that it be brought back inside the government like a lot of others commented, my first thought was how often does this happen inside the government and we just never hear about it. Seems it would be easier to conceal.
3
Your comment is speculative, but it has some sense to it. Private contractors like Booz risk losing contracts when employees turn out to be criminals.
NSA is simply a defense industry machine that runs on fear and tax dollars. Anything that limits their power, or even eliminates the agency altogether, would be fine by me.
3
There are likely plenty of Russian and Chinese spies working for American contractors. That's one downside to outsourcing this kind of work; it's more difficult for the parent agencies to keep an eye on everyone.
2
I will reserve judgement until the situation becomes clearer. This may be a case where someone had bad intent toward Americans. But it could just as easily be one where the accused is a patriot like Edward Snowden, engaged to warn Americans of actions against them by our own government.
The government trusts none of us, secretly spies on all of us, and persecutes anyone who reveals that it is doing so.
The government trusts none of us, secretly spies on all of us, and persecutes anyone who reveals that it is doing so.
3
The contractor outrage is understandable, however... Be mindful that hacking tool solutions is human talent. Booze Allen recruited talent which designed computer code it can sell to the CIA to spy on foreign governments, and everyone else. The code is owned by Booze Allen, created by their employees.
The CIA undoubtedly believed the espoinage results obtained with privare sector hack tools they didn't have was a net benefit. The alternative is not being able to spy because in house CIA talent doesn't have the hacking solutions.
Government buys the tools and hopes they remaon secret as long as possible.
Also, its laughable at hearing of outrage regarding foreign countries spying on America, while America does the same thing... Every nation spys...
The CIA undoubtedly believed the espoinage results obtained with privare sector hack tools they didn't have was a net benefit. The alternative is not being able to spy because in house CIA talent doesn't have the hacking solutions.
Government buys the tools and hopes they remaon secret as long as possible.
Also, its laughable at hearing of outrage regarding foreign countries spying on America, while America does the same thing... Every nation spys...
56
Not if it was a "work for hire" that BAH did for the Government. In that case, the work product is the sole property of the Gov. NOT Booz Allen.
Even if BAH created the code on spec and provided it under license to the NSA, its contractors would certainly be bound by whatever confidentiality agreements that Booz has with the government and they would also be covered by pretty serious non-disclosure agreements between BAH and its employees.
Even if BAH created the code on spec and provided it under license to the NSA, its contractors would certainly be bound by whatever confidentiality agreements that Booz has with the government and they would also be covered by pretty serious non-disclosure agreements between BAH and its employees.
1
I would hope you are completely wrong about Booz Allen owning the code. The U.S. government should not have arrangements with any firm that permit the firm to hold such vital information as their own intellectual property. Little sole proprietorships here have the wisdom to make all intellectual property generated by employees and contractors work-for-hire work product and immediately owned, in perpetuity and completely, by the company. It does not make sense that our government wouldn't do the same thing, especially in this context.
How do you know that Booze Allen owns the code. Many contracts that pay consultants and contractor entities to produce code, specify that the buyer owns the code. If the contract didn't specify that the code was owned by the government, there was malfeasance on the part of the purchaser. That's our tax money.
Spies happen.
1
This is an easy fix. Stop doing illegal acts and you will stop having leaks. I know, criminals will not understand this logic.
2
Are the contractors employees of Putin? So much for "private" contractors.
2
Frankly, I'm more concerned about government contractors working for the NSA to be properly and fully vetted than Syrian immigrants. Booz Hamilton who I know has sticky fingers all over government should nonetheless be heavily fined and their work reduced. They are not screening or training their employees sufficiently well.
5
The Federal Government vets people for clearances and the good old boy network inside the government often pushes people onto contractors with strings related to work. They basically say something like -" I know we can't tell you who to hire or give you any inside info but my boy here has strong credentials and we've pipelined his clearance so he'll be able to start work IF you win" - wink, wink.....
These leaks through cost-plus-fixed-fee contract employees are happening to a government whose senior executives routinely have their personal electronic assets compromised.
-- General Powell lost control of his personal email account.
-- So did CIA Director John Brennan, via a trivial social-engineering hack.
-- Hilary Rodham Clinton operated a server in her cellar.
With this kind of careless leadership, is it any wonder government underlings can't be bothered to be careful? Is it any wonder they turn over control of expensive and sensitive stuff to contractors? Are we surprised when their HR systems are raided? Are we surprised when the FBI advises hospitals to just pay ransoms to cybercrooks?
Then they arrest somebody. And the rest of us feel superior.
This isn't political. It's just atrociously sloppy information security.
-- General Powell lost control of his personal email account.
-- So did CIA Director John Brennan, via a trivial social-engineering hack.
-- Hilary Rodham Clinton operated a server in her cellar.
With this kind of careless leadership, is it any wonder government underlings can't be bothered to be careful? Is it any wonder they turn over control of expensive and sensitive stuff to contractors? Are we surprised when their HR systems are raided? Are we surprised when the FBI advises hospitals to just pay ransoms to cybercrooks?
Then they arrest somebody. And the rest of us feel superior.
This isn't political. It's just atrociously sloppy information security.
2
Having been inspired by Donald J. Trump's draconian suggestions for Muslims, I have the definitive answer to this problem.
We need to go beyond some weak-kneed "Extreme Vetting" ,
and implement a new policy.
I like to call it "100 Percent Stop, Frisk, and Body Cavity Search."
For all intelligence contractors, it will be conducted:
- upon arrival at work (to establish a baseline of whats on your person)
- before leaving work
- before leaving your desk for any reason
- because you fit the profile
Not bad, eh? Eh?
We need to go beyond some weak-kneed "Extreme Vetting" ,
and implement a new policy.
I like to call it "100 Percent Stop, Frisk, and Body Cavity Search."
For all intelligence contractors, it will be conducted:
- upon arrival at work (to establish a baseline of whats on your person)
- before leaving work
- before leaving your desk for any reason
- because you fit the profile
Not bad, eh? Eh?
3
Cant he use the same defense that Hillary Clinton used to removed Government data on her private servers in her basement.
2
You mean the "defense" that the FBI said that nothing she did suggested any reasonable evidence that she "may" have violated statutes?
At this point .... what difference does it make ?
3
So this man was "secretly arrested" five weeks ago and we are just learning of this today! NYT, when can we expect you to do some investigative journalism to identify the scope, extent and authority of secret arrest going on now of US citizens by the Obama administration? Even is this man is a traitor, secret arrest and detention is unconstitutional.
3
This is what happens when print media is forced to downsize....
it's always the contractors....
1
Nothing will change.
Outsourcing is essential in the American System of Government because governmental employees can't provide both Congress, and our Pentagon "brass hats", with:
1. Campaign contributions
2. Endless freebies via lobbyists
3. High level post retirement employment
4. Jobs for relatives
5. Contributions to "Foundations", "Think Tanks", and "PACs".
Basically, it's a system "our leaders" use to give our tax dollars to themselves and their cronies.
The rookies in the House and Senate are taught how to do this by the party functionaries. As for the military, corrupt purchasing, is the stuff of legend.
Our "Ship of State" is a boat that never gets rocked. And the anchor was tossed overboard a log time ago.
Just one more note: Trump is not a change agent - he will rob, not rock.
Outsourcing is essential in the American System of Government because governmental employees can't provide both Congress, and our Pentagon "brass hats", with:
1. Campaign contributions
2. Endless freebies via lobbyists
3. High level post retirement employment
4. Jobs for relatives
5. Contributions to "Foundations", "Think Tanks", and "PACs".
Basically, it's a system "our leaders" use to give our tax dollars to themselves and their cronies.
The rookies in the House and Senate are taught how to do this by the party functionaries. As for the military, corrupt purchasing, is the stuff of legend.
Our "Ship of State" is a boat that never gets rocked. And the anchor was tossed overboard a log time ago.
Just one more note: Trump is not a change agent - he will rob, not rock.
6
Why are you surprised? It isn't like this is a democracy or anything that is based on the country being run "of the people,by the people, and for the people" or anything. Should wee make it a democracy? Yes. However, remember that it would be a responsibility, and not everyone is willing to make the effort. They would rather sit back and complain when things don't go their way. Your lobbyists would be out of work if the people voted on legislation in town hall meetings. After all, it wouldn't be cost effective to bribe everyone. We also wouldn't need the high degree of baseless trust that we are literally putting our lives in these oligarchs' hands. The American citizenry should push to change the Constitution to make this country more of a democracy. Elect the president directly. Vote in town halls for all legislation. If the president does not enforce the will of the people, they are warned once, the next they are ousted. This country was built by us. Don't let them destroy it because of something they want. They should look instead on the fact that they are not just putting everything they have on the line, but everything that everyone else has too.
Nationalize National Defense.
1
NSA what an oxymoronic name for a bunch of bumbling spooks who couldn't catch a threat if it was delivered to them in a sealed box.
1
Put hiring and oversight under direct government control. Privatized government functions just encourage corruption and poor performance.
Consider what happens to any organization when it's responsibilities, the parameters in which it may operate, the number of new functions and new personnel with which it must work, and the goals of it's operations expand to require addressing an immeasurable scope happens. Then consider what happens when both supervision and independent oversight of that organization and all of the components over which it is responsible is drastically reduced by concerns for secrecy. You find an organization which is operating in such a freewheeling and unaccountable fashion that incompetents, fools, and disreputable people are going to be involved but not easily noticed by anyone who can do anything about it. This is what happened with the expansion of the N.S.A. and the rest of the government agencies involved in intelligence and counter-intelligence since the early 2000's. There will be a lot more of this kind of misadventure until the whole secret side of government is completely reorganized to assure that it is well controlled and monitored on behalf of all of us.
And yet Hillary exposed classified information on an unauthorized and unsecure server and gets off Scot free. Amazing. As a bonus she runs for Commander and Chief of the country and liberals scream Russia is trying to interfere with election. Pitiful.
5
Wrong! Her emails were never hacked. This leak only add why it made perfect sense for her and the other Secretaries of State to have private servers.
Clinton's private server was never found to be hacked. And it is Commander IN Chief (not Commander And Chief). Your comments are pitiful.
Is this a case of 'Spy vs Spy'? It seems as though real life is trumping the most imaginative novels at hand. The damage? It depends on whether the 'secrets' ought not be such, at least in a free society, where security may have to yield sometimes to public scrutiny. Ben Franklin's famous words: 'those willing to give up freedom for dubious transient security, deserve neither'. Another question itching to be asked is, how often do security officials leak 'top secret' documents on purpose, while looking the other way, to engage the public's response? And why don't we have a way to control electronic records from escaping surveillance...while occurring in real time? Can't we, in these times of technological marvels and wizardry, invent a warning 'beep', a flashing light, a sudden insight into our souls? A time may yet come where robotic control will be in order, as humans are capriciously immature to hold a secret.
Think about how much goes on you never know about.
2
N.S.A. Equals..... "Not Secure Agency"
1
The fact that the US government contracts some of it's most important systems has always been baffling. For years we've heard how antiquated and slow the government's computer infrastructures are - which also came up earlier last month when a series of articles about Clinton's emails sighted former Secretary of State Colin Powell suggesting Clinton get's her own server since the state department's was on an old architecture. It's time the US start investing in making computer infrastructures a priority and hire full time employees.
1
Booz Allen shoulld be fired immediately and all money paid to them since prior to Snowden clawed back.
There is no evidence Snowden was politically motivated. What we do know without doubt is that Snowden is a spy against the United States. The happy accident which is probably part of his cover that the info leaked publicly exposed illegal activities does not change the facts which say he is a spy against teh US.
There is no evidence Snowden was politically motivated. What we do know without doubt is that Snowden is a spy against the United States. The happy accident which is probably part of his cover that the info leaked publicly exposed illegal activities does not change the facts which say he is a spy against teh US.
4
People who attack our security agencies for "allowing" leaks are the really fools in all of this. Does the NSA, CIA, FBI and other security minded agencies really want these leaks to happen? Of course not! (Except perhaps in Snowden's case and he was acting as an individual).
But the US AND every other country in the world, has very quickly entered into a new place (call it Cyberworld, or whatever) in a very short time. There still hasn't been enough time for nations (let alone cyber corporations and us individuals) to develop and put in place totally secure barriers to our secrets that have benn placed into our cyberworld.
It is not anyone's fault, it's just where we all are as we begin living as citizens of cyberworld. Those politicians who SCREAM about lack of security really have no notion about what they would do or how they would do it to solve this security problem should they be elected. In other words, while the security issue is real, the charges of ignorance, negligence or deliberate malfeasance is not. Don't believe the charges.
But the US AND every other country in the world, has very quickly entered into a new place (call it Cyberworld, or whatever) in a very short time. There still hasn't been enough time for nations (let alone cyber corporations and us individuals) to develop and put in place totally secure barriers to our secrets that have benn placed into our cyberworld.
It is not anyone's fault, it's just where we all are as we begin living as citizens of cyberworld. Those politicians who SCREAM about lack of security really have no notion about what they would do or how they would do it to solve this security problem should they be elected. In other words, while the security issue is real, the charges of ignorance, negligence or deliberate malfeasance is not. Don't believe the charges.
It is obvious that our Government needs to get much smarter. HC has proved that!
If this person is found to have taken the classified information, he must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
More to the point, outsourcing the government's services to private companies must stop. While such a practice makes the executives of Booz Allen, their lobbyists and some of their sales reps wealthy, outsourcing only makes governance more expensive and less secure.
More to the point, outsourcing the government's services to private companies must stop. While such a practice makes the executives of Booz Allen, their lobbyists and some of their sales reps wealthy, outsourcing only makes governance more expensive and less secure.
2
Your post assumes that the government possesses the ability to do this kind of work - it doesn't. Good luck finding employee with the skills you need who are willing to work for the government at government pay. by the way the pay sucks but the GS employee cost more and attaches with a legacy cost since the only way to get rid of a government employee is if they die or get convicted of a crime.
I think they are afraid in the posting for the GS15 position in reply to the question, please upload proof of the skills demanded in this notice, that some young hacker will upload weapons launch codes on a public server.
Eisenhower warned of the "Military-Industrial Complex."
This is one of consequences.
This is one of consequences.
1
"But what we know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country.”
"No reasonable prosecutor would actually try this case."
Double Standards??
"No reasonable prosecutor would actually try this case."
Double Standards??
3
I was pleased to see you mention the State Dept. leaks of 2010. So, the NSA has had 3 leaks/hacks, and the State Dept. has been hacked, but Hillary Clinton's private server was never hacked. I think she had a very good reason for using that private server, and I wish she had just come out and said "I used it because the government servers were vulnerable to hacking".
8
While idiots at the top, mostly directed by paranoia, macho excitement and pressures, without a lot of sensitivity to social complexities and Constitutional rights of citizens and legal residents, have spent more time spying on ordinary people, who happen to be politically different, rebellious or daring, while forgetting the higher up spies and manipulators.
Long time ago I read that the smart terrorists, like Mosaad, would not waste time with things at the bottom. Bottom is for the disillusioned, desperate marginalized or angry stupid young men. The really successful guys, hidden at the top, would look and act like your ordinary Joe, Jack and John...while passing on confidential and classified information to Saudi Arabia. Israel, China or Russia.
But our idiots were distracted by those at the bottom, or those who were merely being different, disagreeable, protesting or rebellious...while the real crooks were organized, coy and were beyond detection.
ISIS, Al Qaeda and/or the Taliban were smart in noting that their guys are already inside the system, and high up in our institutions. And they probably look like any other respectable White boy in the system.
The question is how did these guys get bought out? For a Rolex watch?
I guess Capitalism also penetrates, and plays havoc, in the good ole national security arena.
Geez...I need more drinks man. Everything is getting crazy all at once...and that too in the middle of our Presidential race.
Long time ago I read that the smart terrorists, like Mosaad, would not waste time with things at the bottom. Bottom is for the disillusioned, desperate marginalized or angry stupid young men. The really successful guys, hidden at the top, would look and act like your ordinary Joe, Jack and John...while passing on confidential and classified information to Saudi Arabia. Israel, China or Russia.
But our idiots were distracted by those at the bottom, or those who were merely being different, disagreeable, protesting or rebellious...while the real crooks were organized, coy and were beyond detection.
ISIS, Al Qaeda and/or the Taliban were smart in noting that their guys are already inside the system, and high up in our institutions. And they probably look like any other respectable White boy in the system.
The question is how did these guys get bought out? For a Rolex watch?
I guess Capitalism also penetrates, and plays havoc, in the good ole national security arena.
Geez...I need more drinks man. Everything is getting crazy all at once...and that too in the middle of our Presidential race.
S there some way of doing weekly polygraph test on contract employees?
1
I am more concerned about government employees
Sorry, it's the nature of the job and the individuals who can do them.
Marry bright, innovative persons to high security and you take your chances. Employ keyboard drones and you get nowhere.
Highly intelligent, creative people need to kibitz about what they are doing. That was a major problem with the Manhattan Project which, if it had been prolonged much longer, would most likely have resulted in similar leaks more even than the leaks that occurred at the time.
Marry bright, innovative persons to high security and you take your chances. Employ keyboard drones and you get nowhere.
Highly intelligent, creative people need to kibitz about what they are doing. That was a major problem with the Manhattan Project which, if it had been prolonged much longer, would most likely have resulted in similar leaks more even than the leaks that occurred at the time.
I wonder if he will get the same DOJ and FBI deals as Hillary Clinton and her Cronies...
3
So, according to James Comey, was this Contractor just simply, "Extremely Careless" with these Documents, like Hillary Clinton?
Comey is a Weasel. The FBI are, WEASELS!! We will not rest until Hillary is brought to Justice.
Comey is a Weasel. The FBI are, WEASELS!! We will not rest until Hillary is brought to Justice.
3
Well Harold, all you need do is lie, stall, lie some more, use BleachBit, and claim memory loss. Hey, we've seen it work.
4
"Officials said Mr. Martin did not fit any of the usual profiles of an “insider threat,” and it is unclear whether he had political motives, as Mr. Snowden did when he exposed programs that he said violated the privacy of American citizens."
With all due respect to the authors, you do not know Mr. Snowden's motives. You only know what he says his motives were. Inserting the word "claimed" or "alleged" would be more accurate.
With all due respect to the authors, you do not know Mr. Snowden's motives. You only know what he says his motives were. Inserting the word "claimed" or "alleged" would be more accurate.
3
So, now he gets to go to jail for God knows how many years while Hillary get to run for president of this country. Something is wrong with this picture!
11
What's wrong with your picture is the fact that Hillary committed no crimes. Partisan Republicans have been looking for evidence for years so they can indict Hillary, but they can't find any.
So you have no problem with a NSA, army intelligence, field CIA or other agents, say in the Congo keep similar information on their "personal computers" I know what would happen to those folks, somehow I do not think that HRC was subject to what the public would call significant enhanced interrogation. If you could find one, ask a loyal member of our
Intelligence community what would happen to them.
Intelligence community what would happen to them.
1
HEY FBI! If this new person says they are sorry, and didn't really mean to do it, and didn't have any bad intention, will you also not prosecute them? Didn't think so.
5
So why is the NSA still using contractors again? They need to be using their own people, or, failing that, assign folks from the military to do these jobs.
2
The NSA has always had civilians working there along with military. Same with the DIA, CSS and a few other organizations.
Snowden said the gov't was reading everything, the courts said you can't looking into everything, Obama said the gov't wasn't looking into everyone's peronsal information, Yahoo was found to have given the gov't access to absolutely everything in every American's Yahoo account, every account in Yahoo was hacked by somebody, or the gov't for all we know.
Who's the good guy in all this? Anyone?
Who's the good guy in all this? Anyone?
2
NSA- Not Secret Anyhoo
With these people in charge, the Titanic would never even have made it to the iceberg.
With these people in charge, the Titanic would never even have made it to the iceberg.
3
There is an intrinsic difficulty here. If you want people who are predictable and well behaved and mostly inclined to obey orders rather than take initiative, you will be weeding out creative personalities, exactly those which are needed in a continually evolving game of strategy, of penetration and evasion and feint and camouflage all while glued to a screen covered with code for untold hours without coming up for air.
Another problem is that military, deterministic personalities don't see well into, don't understand in a functional way, creative personalities in general, so in screening and even in the ongoing working relationship they miss cues that would indicate probable problematic behaviors.
Another problem is that military, deterministic personalities don't see well into, don't understand in a functional way, creative personalities in general, so in screening and even in the ongoing working relationship they miss cues that would indicate probable problematic behaviors.
6
I totally agree that hiring contractors to handle national security matters is really, really dumb. The Reagonauts have claimed for decades that contractors are always better and less expensive than doing things in-house, but it's been proved over and over again that this is not so.
36
It worked for decades. Not now. There's a dynamic here that suggests an indifference to national security matters. Hillary was a federal employee.
2
Most government employees lack the skills, training, education, and experience to handle complex analytical and technical tasks. If they do get the skills, they leave b/c the pay and work environment sucks. It may or may not be a great idea but contractors are the only ones that have the ability to do important work.
Everybody is trying to get Trump's tax returns. Nobody is getting them. The IRS is very good at keeping secrets. Maybe the NSA should get some security pointers from the IRS.
2
Funny how we don't often hear about career federal government employees doing this kind of thing....
8
Robert Hansen and the Walker spy family come to mind.
Hillary Clinton, General Patreaus , Chelsea Manning, Lawrence Franklin, Thomas Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, Stephem Kim, Jeff Sterling, James Hitselberger and others were all government employees. For some reason its more newsworthy when its a contractor.
1
Perhaps he can borrow one of the hammers Hillary's aides used for destroying their evidence, sanctioned by the FBI, and supervised by Mills.
10
This is what happens when you outsource important jobs to the private sector, in the name of saving money. Why, after Snowden, the Government continues to use private contractors for important national security functions is something the head of the NSA should answer before Congress. Why Booz Allen lacks internal controls over their employees is something their executives should also answer before Congress.
Our military-industrial complex has now become a military-cyber complex, though it's still early enough to rein it it.
Our military-industrial complex has now become a military-cyber complex, though it's still early enough to rein it it.
24
What outsourcing? We'd be a third world country, over run by hostile regimes if not for private contractors waging cyber and tech war. Your blind faith in the slow moving, dull government work force is unfounded.
Why can't these agencies vette their hires properly?
2
Contracting out of the work of Federal career employees is such a terrible idea, foisted on us by the Republicans' corporate masters who want their cut - testaments from the Bible ("He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.") to Shakespeare to Machiavelli ("In peace one is despoiled by the mercenaries, in war by one's enemies.") has warned of this.
29
Actually most spies have been government employees. Snowden was an exception
1
'Government efficiency' is a contradiction in terms.
My first thought when reading this is the same one I had when the Snowden story broke - given cyber-warfare and technological intelligence-gathering capabilities, etc., it is more important than ever that we elect as our representatives those whom we firmly believe we can trust, not only with the security of our nation, but while also adhering to the values we have historically held so dear. The potential for malfeasance is enormous.
4
Have we not learned enough from our past use of contractors from Bush's Iraq war to cyber security? The NSA, with emphasis on "National Security", needs to get its act together and fast. We are supposed to be the most technically advanced country in the world with among the finest and best innovators. Yet our government agencies are remiss, even negligent, in vetting prospective employees who will have direct insight into our most sensitive material.
This present situation is not just a one way street. Again, with the best and brightest, we have made little headway in preventing other countries, Russia and China to be precise, from hacking sensitive emails from the DNC to our personal email providers to the Pentagon to interference with our process of electing a president. This, to me, is equally heinous. It is an invasion of our privacy as individuals and as a nation. In this volatile world, our personal identity is for many of us all that we have.
This present situation is not just a one way street. Again, with the best and brightest, we have made little headway in preventing other countries, Russia and China to be precise, from hacking sensitive emails from the DNC to our personal email providers to the Pentagon to interference with our process of electing a president. This, to me, is equally heinous. It is an invasion of our privacy as individuals and as a nation. In this volatile world, our personal identity is for many of us all that we have.
71
On top of all that, the Pentagon buys weaponry from China and others...all contain all manner of high-tech electronics. That is as dumb as it gets.
1
Selling is really what it's all about. Silicon Valley? It's all about who will make a billion dollars. It has little to do with "... we are supposed to be the most technically advanced country in the world." Other nations, whether one likes them or not, have run circles around us. A woman smuggler that I knew, who's dead now, called from Europe when Reagan was 1st elected and she said that the whole world was laughing at us. Without a doubt. They still are and they're smarter than Americans give them credit for. Remember exceptionalism? We drink that Koolaide. Sales!
Arent we supposed to pay billions for our security programs without asking they achieve anything?
Is the real enemy Russian or Chinese hackers -- or US democracy and reform activists? Hint - the Yahoo surveillance program probably picked up more of the latter than the former - considering all the times the Chinese alone have hacked Yahoo successfully - that we are aware of at least
Is the real enemy Russian or Chinese hackers -- or US democracy and reform activists? Hint - the Yahoo surveillance program probably picked up more of the latter than the former - considering all the times the Chinese alone have hacked Yahoo successfully - that we are aware of at least
Loves his family and country? In that order, but far below the love of self and money.
Well, if he's found guilty, go easy on him. We wouldn't want to break up the family by imprisoning him, would we?
Well, if he's found guilty, go easy on him. We wouldn't want to break up the family by imprisoning him, would we?
1
Democrats have clearly demonstrated that if there was no intent, there was no crime.
9
In one way, this - taking the source code - is far worse than the damage done by Snowden. Depending on what exactly was taken and if the information reached any foreign agents, the source code can give enemies insight into how the U.S. probes their networks & systems and allow them to implement counter-measures. It could also, potentially, give other countries insight into how to penetrate and damage U.S. government networks. While it may seem arcane and some may applaud this action (as they did Snowden's actions), the bottomline is that if he managed to get any of this information to foreign agents, this is likely to damage U.S. national security.
4
Do we want the government making secret arrests?
This was over a month ago. Why are we just hearing about it now?
Why haven't his lawyers seen the evidence against him?
This was over a month ago. Why are we just hearing about it now?
Why haven't his lawyers seen the evidence against him?
2
Maybe because there is still some security aspect involved ... like maybe they are trying to figure out what damage may or may not have been done before making all this public. Or maybe because there are potentially others involved that would be spooked were they to know of the arrest. Not every single detail needs to be known the instant it happens ... national security still takes priority over what every Tom, Dick, and Harry seems to want to know.
1
Here is perfect example where the Mr Martin might prevail if he uses the Clinton defense where a huge number of classified material was carelessly handled by the Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton yet was spared prosecution by the FBI and DOJ.
7
But, upon finding a personal server in his basement, the charges were dropped.
5
All he has to do is hide behind the 5th Amendment...just like contractors/employees and cabinet-level appointees of the US Department of State. No sweat.
6
Not sure who is worse, Booz Allen, or Yahoo.
4
"The administration has said it will crack down on the disclosures of classified information and that it has pursued more leak cases than all previous administrations ..." Unless their name is Clinton or Mills. NYT has no credibility.
7
Is there false equivalence between Harold Martin and Hillary Clinton?
5
"The administration has said it will crack down on the disclosures of classified information and that it has pursued more leak cases than all previous administrations combined."
Maybe that's because it has had more leaks than all previous administrations combined...
Maybe that's because it has had more leaks than all previous administrations combined...
1
When they failed to make an example of Hillary Clinton, the Obama administration encouraged people to look the other way.
Do we respect classified materials or not?
Do we respect classified materials or not?
3
Another hero for the left.
4
The primary goal of any "contractor" is to make money, and to, therefore, reduce their expenses. This is the most basic concept of "business". How do we reduce expenses? We minimize costs. When we minimize costs for national security, we make the country less secure. A "no brainer".
The USA has more than a dozen private contractors for national security, determined as needed by The NSA, the Senate Intelligence Committee, the President, etc. One rationale for using private contractors is that their employees are working for a company, not for the USA. Hence, it is not a government employee's - or a President's - fault when information is leaked. Government employees who poorly manage security - i.e., James Clapper - get to keep their jobs when a privately employed citizen leaks the information.
And the other advantageous trade-off for the government is that people like Snowden, who leaked information while working for a private company, can be locked up in prison for treason by Congress with no trial at all.
Had Snowden been a government employee working directly for The NSA, as he once was, he would have gotten a "fair" trial as a whistle blower, revealing poor government management.
A "no brainer" for The United States of America - a corrupt government.
The USA has more than a dozen private contractors for national security, determined as needed by The NSA, the Senate Intelligence Committee, the President, etc. One rationale for using private contractors is that their employees are working for a company, not for the USA. Hence, it is not a government employee's - or a President's - fault when information is leaked. Government employees who poorly manage security - i.e., James Clapper - get to keep their jobs when a privately employed citizen leaks the information.
And the other advantageous trade-off for the government is that people like Snowden, who leaked information while working for a private company, can be locked up in prison for treason by Congress with no trial at all.
Had Snowden been a government employee working directly for The NSA, as he once was, he would have gotten a "fair" trial as a whistle blower, revealing poor government management.
A "no brainer" for The United States of America - a corrupt government.
6
Absolutely atrocious.
What kind of hiring standard does the N.S.A. have?
Why would a contractor be charged with such sensitive data?
Do American corporations share sensitive data with "temps"?
I thought the television series, Homeland, fictionalized the most extreme and bleak U.S. national security scenarios,
But now, a U.S. N.S.A. employee has created an even more frightening situation.
What kind of hiring standard does the N.S.A. have?
Why would a contractor be charged with such sensitive data?
Do American corporations share sensitive data with "temps"?
I thought the television series, Homeland, fictionalized the most extreme and bleak U.S. national security scenarios,
But now, a U.S. N.S.A. employee has created an even more frightening situation.
6
Wellllll...if he cites the Clinton Law he will not be held accountable at all. Does he already have a hammer?
7
Would this have been the latest in technology to block all these sales calls and spam emails I'm getting daily. Let's set priorities here.
4
So, how's all that outsourcing work for you?
28
President Obama has had nearly 8 years to change it -- where's the criticism of him and his Administration?
Everything in America today, including our national security, is a for-profit business venture — and it's destroying us as a nation.
30
Blame it on anything or anybody, just so long as it isn't President Obama.
In what way is the President responsible for the misdeeds of Mr. Martin or the laxity of his ridiculously powerful private sector employers? Would you like to review his birth certificate again?
3
I'd like President Obama to cry a river over the birth certificates of every one of the Doctors Without Borders members who died in last year's attack by the military that Obama is Commander-in-Chief of.
I want to see the "person in charge" held accountable for the actions and consequences of his (and his subordinates) decisions. If President Obama thought your concerns were valid, then he should have done something about it.
Don't be an intellectual coward and blame the culture - insist take responsibility.
I want to see the "person in charge" held accountable for the actions and consequences of his (and his subordinates) decisions. If President Obama thought your concerns were valid, then he should have done something about it.
Don't be an intellectual coward and blame the culture - insist take responsibility.
This is looking more and more like the old Mad Magazine "Spy vs Spy" cartoon.
3
"Thomas Martin III, 51, was arrested on Aug. 27, according to a complaint that was only unsealed Wednesday. The 51-year-old, of Glen Burnie, Md., was charged with theft of government property and and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials by a government employee or contractor."
Wow! Just substitute Hillary Clinton for Thomas Martin for doing the same thing. But she got away with it because of the corruption at the highest level of government.
Wow! Just substitute Hillary Clinton for Thomas Martin for doing the same thing. But she got away with it because of the corruption at the highest level of government.
5
Do you know how ridiculous that is? The proper classification of a document is determined by the department that originates the document, and the final judgment is made by the head of that agency. The head of the State Department is the Secretary of State, so it follows that the final determination of the correct classification of any documents that originates in the State Department is the Secretary of State.
1
Sure. Because "stole and disclosed highly classified computer codes developed to hack into the networks of foreign governments" is exactly the same thing as keeping your emails where hackers can't get to them. Since clearly, government data systems aren't even close to secure.
1
I think anyone with a rubber "CONFIDENTIAL" stamp can do the deed, not just the originator.
Mount the Hillary defense.
9
"Two officials said that some of the information the contractor is suspected of taking was dated."
Does this mean outdated or time-stamped?
Does this mean outdated or time-stamped?
2
Hillary kept her email secure by maintaining the system herself. Something to be said for doing things that the system does not expect.
Maybe her system should be implemented for other heads of agencies.
This current breach most have been done to make money as there is nothing embarrassing to release.
Maybe her system should be implemented for other heads of agencies.
This current breach most have been done to make money as there is nothing embarrassing to release.
11
"Hillary kept her email secure by maintaining the system herself."
do you mean her assistant, who had no IT experience, kept it safe? How are you so sure? if the NSA with all its protocols cannot keep info safe how will a private server maintained by someone without IT experience be kept safe? I have a bad feeling all this info has been stolen by both the Russians and Chinese, especially if they had any inkling that she kept it on a "private" server.
PS- I am sure that you have heard recently that even Yahoo has not been able to keep its email system secure?
do you mean her assistant, who had no IT experience, kept it safe? How are you so sure? if the NSA with all its protocols cannot keep info safe how will a private server maintained by someone without IT experience be kept safe? I have a bad feeling all this info has been stolen by both the Russians and Chinese, especially if they had any inkling that she kept it on a "private" server.
PS- I am sure that you have heard recently that even Yahoo has not been able to keep its email system secure?
2
Yeah, good idea so the hackers all over the world who already have Hillary's secret documents can get the same from all other unsecured private servers.
2
Let's hear from Republicans again how much better the private sector does things.
227
Booz Allen charges the US government a lot of money and needs to pay a price for their negligence.
1
That will come after sorting out how incompetently the Obama Administration does things, including 'the most qualified presidential candidate in American history.'
1
You must like paying taxes.
Folks you do realize that putting the blame for a major-level security breach completely 100% on Booz Allen is how the NSA wants to spin this security breach? And that media spin is ready to go, as evidenced in the article. What actually happened is likely more nuanced and implicates the NSA's core/internal practices. Even if congress drags the NSA to a hearing, it will be for show.
12
This is very telling, "Mr. Martin — who like Mr. Snowden worked for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, which is responsible for building and operating many of the agency’s most sensitive cyberoperations..."
Private for-profit contractors are putting OUR governments in jeopardy. There is now no question in my mind that these men were planted inside this company to steal secrets - perhaps FOR Russia, perhaps for an American entity who hates OUR governments.
This MUST stop. Thanks to the FBI for finding this treasonous creep but let's do it BEFORE the information has been given to enemies of OUR state. If there are not undercover FBI/CIA plants inside these companies they had better be installed soon.
Private for-profit contractors are putting OUR governments in jeopardy. There is now no question in my mind that these men were planted inside this company to steal secrets - perhaps FOR Russia, perhaps for an American entity who hates OUR governments.
This MUST stop. Thanks to the FBI for finding this treasonous creep but let's do it BEFORE the information has been given to enemies of OUR state. If there are not undercover FBI/CIA plants inside these companies they had better be installed soon.
18
If he was a government employee - like Lois Lerner or the State Dept folks - he'd be promoted or allowed to retire with full pension.
1
Second time for Booz Allen. They should be prosecuted criminally and civilly with huge fines, and removed as a contractor.
If NSA can't find enough competent contractors, they should only hire from within, and make remuneration sufficient to attract and to retain the best.
That's what happens when dealing with the military-industrial complex. This is no way to squander taxpayer dollars, and protect the US and us.
If NSA can't find enough competent contractors, they should only hire from within, and make remuneration sufficient to attract and to retain the best.
That's what happens when dealing with the military-industrial complex. This is no way to squander taxpayer dollars, and protect the US and us.
210
Totally agree. When Snowden pulled his heist, I wondered why there was no outrage over Booz Allen's culpability back then. Now it's happened again. The press should investigate the government's apparent cozy relationship with Booz Allen and put it in the front page.
I agree that gpvernment should bring all classified data issues in-house. Since government agencies a legally required to separate non-classified data from secure computer systems, how can non-classified data be managed in complete separation from classified data?
I'm don't know how many people are listening, tho. There appears to be a strong national impulse appears to outsource all government to outsiders, who are believed to be so much more faithful, sincere, and cheap, as compared to career evil government employees.
I'm don't know how many people are listening, tho. There appears to be a strong national impulse appears to outsource all government to outsiders, who are believed to be so much more faithful, sincere, and cheap, as compared to career evil government employees.
Better yet, the NSA can disband, and each of its managers, workers, and contractors can turn themselves in for their crimes. (The TSA too, while they're at it, with a full return of Pre-Check protection-racket tolls.)
Let's make "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution" and "I take full responsibility" mean something for once.
Let's make "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution" and "I take full responsibility" mean something for once.
1
Is the death penalty for treason on the table?
8
It was in the military awhile back. Today they just put you in jail.
Seriously, if you hire someone else to do your job for you, you should expect that they are going to want to some of the goodies. I'm assuming that the government tried to save a few bucks, so they are not getting the same pay and/or perks as the regular employees. This breeds resentment. You might be able to get away with this when you're making widgets, but with National security?
Beyond stupid.
Beyond stupid.
28
Let's look at our track record over the years: Klaus Fuchs delivered the entire plans for both models of fission bombs that were dropped on Japan to his Soviet handlers when he went to town for pizza and beer, and they had no trouble delivering trunk loads of documents to Moscow. In fact the first Soviet weapons tested were exact duplicates. I thought, "Wow, security at Los Alamos was way too trusting of Mr. Fuchs."
A few years ago the US government announced that the Chinese have the complete design documents for every thermonuclear warhead in our arsenal, I was astonished and thought, "Didn't they learn anything form the Klaus Fuchs disaster?" Then there's Snowden and others whose name I don't recall. Now when I read about the latest theft of super secret information I think, "So what else is new?"
A few years ago the US government announced that the Chinese have the complete design documents for every thermonuclear warhead in our arsenal, I was astonished and thought, "Didn't they learn anything form the Klaus Fuchs disaster?" Then there's Snowden and others whose name I don't recall. Now when I read about the latest theft of super secret information I think, "So what else is new?"
4
I just don't get it.
Privatization only takes money to a third party. It never helps improve service. If we can figure out a right way to balance the rewards and patriotism, this could be done much cheaply and w/o too much worry of loosing a soul to our enemy.
There is a limit to privatization and it stops at National Security, which includes safety(Army) & health(includes Healthcare) and future of our weak ones.
Privatization only takes money to a third party. It never helps improve service. If we can figure out a right way to balance the rewards and patriotism, this could be done much cheaply and w/o too much worry of loosing a soul to our enemy.
There is a limit to privatization and it stops at National Security, which includes safety(Army) & health(includes Healthcare) and future of our weak ones.
80
Only a complete loon would trust this pathetic government.
2
We must get the government out of national security. They never do anything right.
Republicans push privatization because they want to downsize government. Unintended consequences are often more dangerous and expensive to fix.
We started the cyber warfare with Iran and other nations and when they turn the table around against us, we will moan and complain. When are we going to learn from our aggressive and illegal behavior like using the drones in nations that we have not even declared war with?
7
Now we are seeing the dangers of privatizing our National Security. And a Trump and Pence administration wants to privatize Social Security.
190
Why not the government is stealing it in front of you.
1
WOW! National security and Social Security are nowhere NEAR the same! Way to make an irrelevant point in order to bash Trump.
Oh yes, because the Social Security system is in such good shape now. If it's privatized then there's a good chance the Feds will stop raiding the funds for their little pet projects. But then that's why it will be hard to privatize it. The Washington elitists don't want to lose their little slush fund.
Wild speculation on my part, but the related article "Booz Allen Grew Rich on Government Contracts" suggests a business model focusing on MONEY. Could it have occurred to one (or more?) of the Booz-ey employees to focus on their own lucrative business opportunities? The KGB-CIA shadow war saw a persistent pattern of western traitors doing it for money, while eastern traitors usually had more ideological motivations.
34
Yep, Hillary dealt in classified information for the money as well.
2
They did it for MONEY? It's the American way. Patriots all.
Another capitalism FAIL. Fail because a contractor doesn't have the same emotional fidelity to his/her employer as a lifer would --theoretically, and practically. In the short term, it's cheaper to hire contractors, but in the long term --- wait! -- this could escalate into global tensions -- we might not have a long-term. Cheaper in the short term can be deadly.
59
Govt personnel cannot be FIRED. They will simply NOT DO THE WORK. Obviously, you have never been in Govt Service?
2
I suppose then Snowden was a capitalist win.
1
Yea, let's go Socialist and kill people we don't like or don't agree with us.
Yah. They better hope it was "dated". Here again we have another example of the gaping holes in this administration's laughable (to our enimies) "national security". His appointees are incompetent up and down the line, reflecting both the arrogance and the complete ineptitude of their boss. This is what happens when you elect a "community activist" who thinks golfing in Hawaii is a security briefing.
10
Negative, this is what happens when you outsource National Defense. I saw this coming way before President Obama. Started happening in the early 2000's predominantly with our foray into Iraq. It's only gotten worse.
2
Snowden for Secretary of State
29
Good one
"Two officials said that some of the information the contractor is suspected of taking was dated."
....and I guess some of it was current, latest and greatest, state of the art.
....and I guess some of it was current, latest and greatest, state of the art.
9
Yes. which makes it even worse! More so is Extremely Valuable to foreign g'nts
How about get out of the contracting business and bring all security related work back in house - that includes the vetting process. It was never a good idea to oursource sensitive work and we're learning this particular lesson the hard way for sure. When something doesn't work STOP!
195
Because government employees, unlike contractors, receive whistleblower protections.
5
Because, Govt personnel cannot be FIRED. They will simply NOT DO THE WORK. Obviously, you have never been in Govt Service?
1
Silly girl Connie the defense industry exists for the contractors.
1
Any individual who places our nation's safetty and security at risk - be they driven by the profit motivation, a desire to serve the interests of a foreign government or other hostile state actors, or by an intrinsic need or desire to wreak havoc on or cause embarrassment to the US government - should face the ultimate penalty for their crime.
16
How about we hold the people who set up a secret court system to rubber stamp a warrant authorizing surveillance of every American without probable cause accountable?
1
So you're in FAVOR of prosecuting Hillary then?
1
So you are for prosecuting Hillary then?
At what point does the government review the competency, screening and general management competence of it's major sub contractors? Booz Allen Hamilton brought us the security debacle of Edward Snowden through lack of controls and oversight of an under screened, under qualified and dishonest employee. Now they have offered up another similar criminal, but there is no indication that the billions of dollars in consulting contracts they have with the government are being questioned. In the private sector they would be terminated immediately. Is the Federal Government that asleep at the switch or are they that in the pocket of these consulting parasites?
385
This is a very uninformed comment. Every NSA consultant with a clearance has to undergo federal background checks. The consulting firm just supplies the bodies.
1
Dennis, I suspect the NSA actually *wants contractors* for some parts of national security because it creates plausible deniability for the NSA when embarrassing things like this happens. if you think like an NSA bureaucrat, it is easy to see why the NSA quite intentionally uses 3rd party staff.
Clearly, they are in the pocket of Congress. Our grand lawmakers, Congress also hired Blackwater mercinaries to run our concentration camps abroad which is forbidden under the Geneva Convention. Greasy, sleezy Congress do-nothings that sell our safety, reputation and everything else for a buck in campaign donations or a free meal. Get the money out of our elections and out of our public coffers.
1
All Hillary has to do is say he work for her and she can make a few more bucks on the deal Andy FBI will destroy the evidence for her perfect
11
1
we spend Billions on the NSA. They cant stop the hackers from Russia, China and North Korea. They keep losing sensitive information. How come Booze Allen still has the contract? Is this a sweet heart deal based on lobbyist and special interest? Time for congress to do its job and investigate the failures of NSA..
89
The NSA is not in the business of spying on foreign governments, that is the CIA. The NSA is in the business of spying on people in the United States.
2
They probably lobby pretty hard.
If you want to know . ..lookup what state is Booze Allen(Hqts) is based out of.
If you want to know . ..lookup what state is Booze Allen(Hqts) is based out of.
1
BA is owned by The Carlyle Group. Google them
1
Snowden revealed the NSA was violating the Constitution by spying on Americans. He vetted his documents through journalists. His actions prompted a discussion that changed the law and made the NSA aware that there was a Constitution.
This is different. Taking source code the NSA uses to protect the country against foreign cyber-attackers is different.
This is different. Taking source code the NSA uses to protect the country against foreign cyber-attackers is different.
15
I agree with everything except that the code was "developed by the agency to break into computer systems of adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea" and not to be used like a firewall.
This code actually sounds to me like a version of PROMIS software.
This code actually sounds to me like a version of PROMIS software.
1
He should just use the Hillary defense.. Did it for convenience... can't recall, plead the fifth...
7
Are we running a tight ship here? Lately, it seems we can be invaded and slaughtered and no one will notice until it is on CNN.
6
Alex: Thanks so much for the laugh - never enough of them these days.
Makes one wonder why Booz Allen is still on the property.
20
It must have been dirt on Hillary if it was intercepted by the FBI. James Comey doing his mistress' bidding, now that he is part of the 'Team'.
Good boy, James!
Good boy, James!
7
They arrested him? He's lucky. Back in my day, not that long ago, people just mysteriously dropped dead.
3
When is the FBI going to arrest Marissa Mayer and the President for sharing/reading the public's emails without warrants?
Exactly one week past never.
It's difficult, given the FBI's and NSA's complicity in ongoing Fourth Amendment violations, to care too much when someone gives them a little taste of their own medicine.
Exactly one week past never.
It's difficult, given the FBI's and NSA's complicity in ongoing Fourth Amendment violations, to care too much when someone gives them a little taste of their own medicine.
5
While in the US Navy, I had a top secret crypto clearance. Was told later the reason they selected me - guy from a small town in S IN. The big scare then was commies - senator joe mccarthy. HMMMM his lawyer was roy cohn - oh he also worked for the donald and that is supposedly where the donald got his attack style from.
Snowden was paid over $100k per year - wow that is some income. Jonathan pollard spent 30 years in prison for spying for Israel - oh the Israelis traded the info he provided to the russians on a quid pro quo arrangement.
My suggestion for the NSA is to recruit university educated farm boys/girlsfrom the midwest - the garrison Keillor type of person.
Wow a salary of $100K is IMHO a great incentive.
Also remember when our people are exposed - they get taken out so no punishment is too severe - just make it life with hard labor - just like they give us service members.
Snowden was paid over $100k per year - wow that is some income. Jonathan pollard spent 30 years in prison for spying for Israel - oh the Israelis traded the info he provided to the russians on a quid pro quo arrangement.
My suggestion for the NSA is to recruit university educated farm boys/girlsfrom the midwest - the garrison Keillor type of person.
Wow a salary of $100K is IMHO a great incentive.
Also remember when our people are exposed - they get taken out so no punishment is too severe - just make it life with hard labor - just like they give us service members.
7
You date yourself here on several points, but the one I can't let go by is "wow" over a hundred thousand dollar a year salary. Got news for you, after taxes, a hundred g don't buy you a retirement at 65, butch.
If you had spent a little more time writing this I'd have liked to see you capitalize Roy Cohen's name here and arrange it a little better in the sentence because the strongest thing you say here is about Roy Cohen's connection to Donald Trump from the Make Great America Great again days when the two of them used to ride the white horse at Studio 54.
Your reference to the cold war days of recruiting at college campuses is not going to return, nor is Garrison Keillor.
If you had spent a little more time writing this I'd have liked to see you capitalize Roy Cohen's name here and arrange it a little better in the sentence because the strongest thing you say here is about Roy Cohen's connection to Donald Trump from the Make Great America Great again days when the two of them used to ride the white horse at Studio 54.
Your reference to the cold war days of recruiting at college campuses is not going to return, nor is Garrison Keillor.
ReTweet:
"Wow, arrested!!! And Hillary is still on the campaign trail!!!"
"Wow, arrested!!! And Hillary is still on the campaign trail!!!"
16
Ok, so the FBI actually CAN make arrests. Given recent events, I wasn't sure if that was still an option for them.
13
Good to see that this contractor now may have limited career opportunities.
2
May I recommend "Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War" by Fred Kaplan as a primer. It's a complicated war, this cyber war...
4
Lets not compare this agent to Snowden.
From the reports, this contractor stole documents relating to the NSA spying on foreign governments. This is the role of the NSA and this type of work is fair game for them.
Snowden stole documents relating to the NSA (and other governments) spying on their own citizens with the help of major corporations. That is not what the NSA is intended to do and is a violation of basic constitutional (and human) rights.
One disclosure is in the public interest, the other is not.
From the reports, this contractor stole documents relating to the NSA spying on foreign governments. This is the role of the NSA and this type of work is fair game for them.
Snowden stole documents relating to the NSA (and other governments) spying on their own citizens with the help of major corporations. That is not what the NSA is intended to do and is a violation of basic constitutional (and human) rights.
One disclosure is in the public interest, the other is not.
43
And Trump wants to "extreme vet" refugees - ??
8
Every time a contractor does anything, people rant and rave to get rid of contractors, but never point at the federal hiring process, which runs between 18-36 months. Contractors would not exist if the federal government could hire qualified people quickly enough and pay them adequately. The problem is the federal system, not the contractors who necessarily emerged to supply the need. But how can they hire more people quickly and efficiently when everyone hollers about government being too big?
19
Sounds fishy. "Secretly" arrested? Or the NSA finding a scapegoat for past failures?
4
Is this the same source code that they use to email spam requesting the credentials for one's yahoo account?
3
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety".Benjamin Franklin. We are reaping what we sowed years ago.
11
This is nothing compared to all the electronics that are being manufactured in Asia. Don't think there are spies working for China, Russia and North Korea at those factories? Don't think there is secret code in bedded in the firmware of those chips? One flip of a radar frequency and it will cause systems to reboot and reset. Networks down in a flash, Cars stop working and anything with those common controller chips installed in just about anything that uses computer control.
Fighter jets trying to acquire targets, Ships trying to set firing solutions. Just make sure we have the names of all those executives who have made billions shifting jobs overseas for profit and creating electronic Trojan horses.
Fighter jets trying to acquire targets, Ships trying to set firing solutions. Just make sure we have the names of all those executives who have made billions shifting jobs overseas for profit and creating electronic Trojan horses.
7
For sensitive electronics and equipment, especially for the Department of Defense, the federal government generally domestically produces (or has contractors produce) its own electronics, down to the most basic components.
1
Yes and No. What is supposed to happen and what doesn't happen are 2 different things.
http://www.information-age.com/security-backdoor-found-in-china-made-us-...
https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sps32/sec_news.html#Assurance
http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/print/volume-10/issue-12/depar...
http://www.information-age.com/security-backdoor-found-in-china-made-us-...
https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sps32/sec_news.html#Assurance
http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/print/volume-10/issue-12/depar...
2
NetNinja, the claims in your links are not very reassuring, are they? Wow.
Why are we contracting out our national security? Adm Rogers needs to resign. Booz Allen needs to be held accountable with a fine equal to the cost of developing new code and programs, and Snowden and this new traitor need to rot in prison.
12
Dear Mr Righteous:
Mr. Snowden only informed you the very corrupt government, (the same which is bought and sold by whichever highest bidders) is spying on you and everyone else. Mr. Snowden is a hero.
Mr. Snowden only informed you the very corrupt government, (the same which is bought and sold by whichever highest bidders) is spying on you and everyone else. Mr. Snowden is a hero.
6
I'm finding it hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys, anymore. As for secrets, I think our government keeps too many. Moreover, I suspect America's enemies know far more about our government that America's own people do and there is something deeply troubling about that.
30
The controversial massive surveillance operations conducted by the U.S. National Security Agency together cost each taxpayer about $574, wrote Johns Hopkins professor of applied economics Steve Hanke on the Cato Institute's blog.
As documents leaked by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden revealed this summer, that tax covers the collection of telephony metadata from every U.S. citizen, the secret court warrants for their social media data and emails, the splitting of fibre optic submarine Internet cables, and the tapping of foreign leaders’ phones.
In fact, the calculation is based on another of Snowden’s documents, known as the “black budget,” which details the U.S. intelligence community’s spending. About 20 percent of that budget, which is in total about $52.6 billion, is allocated to the NSA.
In the future, however, that number may be set to decrease. A bill known as the USA Freedom Act, which would stop the NSA from collecting and storing the phone metadata of every American, has been introduced in Congress.
A previous attempt to defund certain NSA programs went before Congress earlier this summer, and failed to pass by a slim 12 votes. After further revelations about the NSA's activities, some members of Congress said they wished they'd supported it.
As documents leaked by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden revealed this summer, that tax covers the collection of telephony metadata from every U.S. citizen, the secret court warrants for their social media data and emails, the splitting of fibre optic submarine Internet cables, and the tapping of foreign leaders’ phones.
In fact, the calculation is based on another of Snowden’s documents, known as the “black budget,” which details the U.S. intelligence community’s spending. About 20 percent of that budget, which is in total about $52.6 billion, is allocated to the NSA.
In the future, however, that number may be set to decrease. A bill known as the USA Freedom Act, which would stop the NSA from collecting and storing the phone metadata of every American, has been introduced in Congress.
A previous attempt to defund certain NSA programs went before Congress earlier this summer, and failed to pass by a slim 12 votes. After further revelations about the NSA's activities, some members of Congress said they wished they'd supported it.
6
If it was the FBI arresting the suspect, you can be assured that the data he was stealing must have related to Hillary Clinton. Comey is part of the Team, now.
Good boy, James! You get those bad guys!
Good boy, James! You get those bad guys!
7
He probably used Hillary's unsecured server
1
FBI made an arrest? Guy must have Hiliary's emails and the FBI needs to deep six them.
8
Wow, arrested!!! And Hillary is still on the campaign trail!!!
10
Trump will consider this a show of strength and initiative on the part of the hacker and Congressional Republicans will launch a full investigation into Hillary's whereabouts during the time of the theft, because she has to be guilty of something, damn it.
5
Maybe it's time to turn these functions back to the government to run.
102
My first thought was why are we contracting out rather than hiring and training government workers.
101
Republicans love Govt. defense contractors
6
This goes to H as well. We hired and trained a Secretary of State (government worker), how'd that work out?
3
One spy cannot tolerate another spy because obviously Spy One was appointed by the God and Spy two was appointed by the Devil, right ? Or was it the other way around ?
4
Should not hire company that first name can and should be written as "BOZO".
5
Severe contact with Booz Allen Hamilton, stop using those organizations feeding tax payers money. May be dissolve NSA & CIA. If there is no KGB why there should be CIA. Putin will be dead in few years by natural cause.
4
With apologies to JL: Imagine! a world without secrets. Not that far-fetched anymore.
3
It is very interesting that while there was FBI speculation that perhaps HRC's private email server might have been hacked- there was never any evidence this actually occurred.
Here we have yet another example of a supposedly highly secure NSA system that had information stolen by another contractor hired by Booz Allen Hamilton- the same firm that hired Snowden. Really?
This did occur and in fact an arrest has been made.
Does anyone see the irony in this situation?
It seems to me that HRC server was more secure that many government servers which have been hacked or data stolen from a trusted employee.
The NSA needs to fire Booz and take this whole operation in house. At the very least, they need to do a better job weeding out the traitors in their midst.
When is Comey going to go on TV and critically lecture the NSA and Booz about their carelessness like he did for HRC?
Here we have yet another example of a supposedly highly secure NSA system that had information stolen by another contractor hired by Booz Allen Hamilton- the same firm that hired Snowden. Really?
This did occur and in fact an arrest has been made.
Does anyone see the irony in this situation?
It seems to me that HRC server was more secure that many government servers which have been hacked or data stolen from a trusted employee.
The NSA needs to fire Booz and take this whole operation in house. At the very least, they need to do a better job weeding out the traitors in their midst.
When is Comey going to go on TV and critically lecture the NSA and Booz about their carelessness like he did for HRC?
228
Excellent question!
4
"It is very interesting that while there was FBI speculation that perhaps HRC's private email server might have been hacked- there was never any evidence this actually occurred."
A lack of evidence is NOT proof that something did not happen.
"It seems to me that HRC server was more secure that many government servers which have been hacked or data stolen from a trusted employee."
Still plenty of time for WikiLeaks to release some more Clinton emails, I would not hold my breath until the election if I were you.
ROTFL here you excoriate the government for outsourcing IT yet somehow it is all OK when then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did it.
I'll agree that Hillary Clinton is no Donald Trump but the sad truth is that she is also no Bernie Sanders...
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/061.png
A lack of evidence is NOT proof that something did not happen.
"It seems to me that HRC server was more secure that many government servers which have been hacked or data stolen from a trusted employee."
Still plenty of time for WikiLeaks to release some more Clinton emails, I would not hold my breath until the election if I were you.
ROTFL here you excoriate the government for outsourcing IT yet somehow it is all OK when then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did it.
I'll agree that Hillary Clinton is no Donald Trump but the sad truth is that she is also no Bernie Sanders...
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/061.png
1
No doubt Mrs. Clinton believes her own server was just as secure, or even more so, than any government server. She said as much lately. And she was right. No computer system is secure, that is now clear.
1
The planned structure provides 1 to 1.5 million square feet (90,000–140,000 m2),[20][21][22] with 100,000 square feet (9,000 m2) of data center space and more than 900,000 square feet (84,000 m2) of technical support and administrative space.[7][20] It is projected to cost $1.5–2 billion.[3][7][20][23][24] A report suggested that it will cost another $2 billion for hardware, software, and maintenance.[20] The completed facility is expected to require 65 megawatts of electricity, costing about $40 million per year.[7][20] The facility is expected to use 1.7 million gallons (6,435 m3) of water per day.[25] An article by Forbes estimates the storage capacity as between 3 and 12 exabytes in the near term, based on analysis of unclassified blueprints, but mentions Moore's Law, meaning that advances in technology could be expected to increase the capacity by orders of magnitude in the coming ye
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Data_Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Data_Center
2
"...this contractor — who like Mr. Snowden worked for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, which is responsible for building and operating many of the agency’s most sensitive cyberoperations..."
And this is the best security that outfit can offer? Secrets taken from within? If this is our strongest defense in cyber warfare, we are doomed.
And this is the best security that outfit can offer? Secrets taken from within? If this is our strongest defense in cyber warfare, we are doomed.
21
From this, to Snowden, to Clinton's server and so forth, it is clear that our country's computer systems' security practices, policy enforcement, system hardening and contractor vetting, are not up to par. Pretty dangerous posture in today's world.
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To Colin Powell and Condi Rice using gmail...
1
"it is clear that our country's computer systems' security practices, policy enforcement, system hardening and contractor vetting, are not up to par."
Those of us in IT are the only ones that seemingly know the truth:
1) UNIX was originally an academic research OS and it was designed to facilitate sharing of information.
2) Windows was written by a private company, Microsoft, which until recently had never made an effort to secure their product.
3) OS-X uses security by obscurity, they don't release their source code so you have to trust that Apple knows what they are doing.
Right now Microsoft and Apple are making billions of dollars with crap products that put their users at risk. If a car manufacturer sold such unsafe products they would either be sued out of business or shut down by the federal government.
The only way to keep a secret with a computer is to keep it off a computer. If you have to keep such secrets on a computer it should not be connected to a network.
I am currently working on a Master's degree in Cyber Security, but I will never work in the industry because I will be just like King Canute, telling the waves to stay back as they lap at my feet.
There is a bright future in computer security training though, so that is where I am headed. Someone needs to teach the next generation about computer security but if you ask me it is like closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.
Hillary the Hacker:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/070.png
Those of us in IT are the only ones that seemingly know the truth:
1) UNIX was originally an academic research OS and it was designed to facilitate sharing of information.
2) Windows was written by a private company, Microsoft, which until recently had never made an effort to secure their product.
3) OS-X uses security by obscurity, they don't release their source code so you have to trust that Apple knows what they are doing.
Right now Microsoft and Apple are making billions of dollars with crap products that put their users at risk. If a car manufacturer sold such unsafe products they would either be sued out of business or shut down by the federal government.
The only way to keep a secret with a computer is to keep it off a computer. If you have to keep such secrets on a computer it should not be connected to a network.
I am currently working on a Master's degree in Cyber Security, but I will never work in the industry because I will be just like King Canute, telling the waves to stay back as they lap at my feet.
There is a bright future in computer security training though, so that is where I am headed. Someone needs to teach the next generation about computer security but if you ask me it is like closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.
Hillary the Hacker:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/070.png
1
Clinton's e-mails were a minor problem. Staff failed to make her use the system. But little damage. Government leaks are rare because the systems are really quite good in the US Government - better than almost all other countries. The leaks come from contractors government has been forced to use due to GOP pressure to outsource.
1
Russians, N koreans, chinese, or israelis?
2
Snowden is a hero.
The NSA needs to respect Rule of Law.
The so-called FISA Court is no court at all but instead, an agency which grants permission slips to violate law and Constitution.
When will Congress and/or the President act to restore our democratic republic.
No one voted for the surveillance state being imposed on the people of the US.
If someone is selling classified materials to the enemy they need to be prosecuted.
But if our government agencies are acting in violation of law and prosecution, they need to be prosecuted, and whistleblowers protected.
The NSA needs to respect Rule of Law.
The so-called FISA Court is no court at all but instead, an agency which grants permission slips to violate law and Constitution.
When will Congress and/or the President act to restore our democratic republic.
No one voted for the surveillance state being imposed on the people of the US.
If someone is selling classified materials to the enemy they need to be prosecuted.
But if our government agencies are acting in violation of law and prosecution, they need to be prosecuted, and whistleblowers protected.
296
I didn't see where this was about Snowden.
4
Snowden isn't the first criminal in history to be regarded by some as a hero. However, if he's hoping for a presidential pardon, the future president who might do so is either currently an infant or not yet born.
5
Which is a great shame indeed, Henry.
Snowden is a hero, and until the NSA admits the full scope of their actions (e.g. Mayer's treason against the people for the NSA's gain) and the full power of the "dated" cyberwar code (e.g. whether it was also used or able to be used against US citizens as well), then I proudly regard Martin and any future NSA whistleblower as a hero too!
Snowden is a hero, and until the NSA admits the full scope of their actions (e.g. Mayer's treason against the people for the NSA's gain) and the full power of the "dated" cyberwar code (e.g. whether it was also used or able to be used against US citizens as well), then I proudly regard Martin and any future NSA whistleblower as a hero too!
1
With Snowedus on permanent luxury vacay in Russia (and who knows where else), the risk/reward calculation does not look so daunting. Expect a flood of these coming down the pike. It's only a matter of time until a person gets in over their head with mortgage, auto, and credit card debt... and looks for a new life.
1
yep.
very easy for people to become marginalized these days
very easy for people to become marginalized these days
Get Booz Allen Hamilton out of the national security business. Their primary goal is profit NOT security. Every time these traitor corporations bring an employee on line they steal $250,000 from the U.S. Treasury which is split as follows: $125,000 for their criminal executives and shareholders and $125,000 for the "double-dipping" employee.
127
Having done DoD consulting and consulted in private/public, the fun part is that 125,000$ of that $250k does not go to 'executives'. If the employee is making $125,000, they are most likely getting bare-bones benefits. They would be more around 100k with decent health insurance and 401k match, etc. There are tons of other services consultant services need to plan for: recruiters/account managers, finance, etc, and all this overhead eats into the leftover amount. Some consultants don't bring in good margins, despite what the knee-jerk analysis you present states.
1
They should have already been out
The password was 12345678
It was on a Post-It note under the keyboard.
It was on a Post-It note under the keyboard.
35
User Name: USER
2
Cursors! Filed again.
Ok, so what will we, the law abiding citizens, come to expect from this FBI, after witnessing their complete coverup job when it came to Hillary's handling of classified emails? I mean, at this point, as long as Comey is still at the helm, our faith and trust in this now highly corrupt division is pretty much non-existent.
6
You conveniently left out the greatest intelligence disaster of all time: no WMD. Typical of republicans who believe that the world began on March 21, 2003. And BTW, where is your evidence of corruption. Only a republican can go from something they don't like to screeching corruption.
1
oh Comey you say? the Comey that was the United States Deputy Attorney General from December 2003 to August 2005, serving in President George W. Bush's administration? As Deputy Attorney General, Comey was the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and ran the day-to-day operations of the Department. He's a Republican, lest you forget.
1
On what charge was this contractor arrested? If the FBI is still investigating "whether he stole and disclosed highly classified computer codes", then the arrest was based on something else.
13
Just a guess, but maybe theft? Perhaps it's known that the contractor took something from a government computer, but exactly what is not yet know.
What are you expecting? Better reporting? The reporting at The Times has been so poor, I hardly expect questions like yours to be addressed in an article.
3
According to an AP article, he was found with classified documents in his possession at home. The contents of those have obviously not been revealed.
1
A "contractor" again? The US defense and security establishment once again gets in trouble because of outsourcing. Apparently, they don't learn from experience. They need to restrict all top level access to screened, experienced, permanent employees.
334
Most engineering in the "US defense and security establishment" is done by civilians that are screened via security clearance. These civilians are considered "contractors" despite being experienced and usually permanent employees of their respective companies.
Perhaps that would help, but the reality is that there is no system that is 100% foolproof. Criminals in cleared positions who steal security information call to mind what Willie Sutton said about why he robbed banks: it's where the money is. One of the FBI's own, Robert Hanssen, remains (and will remain) imprisoned for selling information to those who do not share our interests. We can hope that all involved stay as alert as is possible to security breaches, but it will never be perfect and breaches will likely never be inconsequential.
If they would pay the Government people what they are worth, they could probably keep more of them. Many, if not at least a majority of the contractors used to be Government employees and left for the better pay and benefits as a contractor.
1
Can we find out what the results are of our hacking into the networks of foreign governments? All we get is Sony and the DNC when they hack into ours.
5
arent they th ones who relentlessly spy on everyone and gather all your email and phone calls ?
oh, my, yes they are indeed
and now anyone can get it\
3
Why rely on contractors? This is your pb right there!
The information is critical enough to be handled only in-house, period!
The information is critical enough to be handled only in-house, period!
33
Seems to me there was a soldier that is in jail for taking classified information. Probably several.
2
that NSA place seems like a siv...anything can pass thru...Cmon guys, time for a LOCK DOWN!!!
2
When hackers intrude into government information systems the punishment should be severe. Oh wait. This is our hacker code. Never mind.
2
I think the author(s) ought to explain precisely what is meant by "secretly" arrested in the first sentence. Does this merely mean they didn't issue a press release? or was he arrested and held without attorney? was he allowed a phone call? was he taken in the dead of night by masked men?
253
Yes. The most important information is left completely vague.
2
According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, he was arrested in late August. The charges were just unsealed today.
1
Hard to say it was a "secret" arrest when dozens of uniformed officers with long guns raided the house in broad daylight. Was the guy that much of a threat? Or was it for show to intimidate other Americans? Seems like the latter. Shades of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's stated intent to induce paranoia among Americans so they would not dissent from official statements by government. The same J. Edgar Hoover who insisted on, and received from a subservient Congress, funds for a new limousine every year. Why is the US Justice building still named after Hoover? He authorized spying on Americans (google COINTELPRO), authorized forged letters to employers to get people fired for their political beliefs, planted provocateurs in peaceful groups exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and assembly and the right to petition the government. Hoover's FBI armed the Black Panthers. Great idea. This contractor may turn out to be a loose cannon, but patriotic citizens need to stand up to government bullying. Unless you admire Putin, that is.
1
don't we now have the right to see the information he has?
5
When the Snowden story broke I feared that NSA had gone overboard in violating our privacy rights. Since then, with news how ineffective NSA has been in finding terrorists and now is failing to keep control of its hacking software, I fear NSA is no good enough to protect us.
11
Gee, another Booz Allen contractor given access to the highest level of secret information and he leaks it. Where have we heard this before?
At some point, will our officials hold Booz Allen accountable?
Or do we continue to pretend contracting our national defense is a good idea?
At some point, will our officials hold Booz Allen accountable?
Or do we continue to pretend contracting our national defense is a good idea?
860
I'm sure their CEO will follow John Stumpf's example, take "full responsibility" and go on about his business as if nothing had happened.
7
Contracting is cheaper than permanent hiring. We pay a price for deciding to do it on the cheap. Accountablity of Booz Allen isn't the same as the same as personal accountability of an employee or civil servant. We pay a huge price for using contractors in this way.
4
What actually happened is likely more nuanced and implicates the NSA's core/internal practices.
Isn't the government -- federal, state, local -- ever going to get it that "outsourcing" isn't a good idea? Outsourcing national security?? Seriously????
19
This has nothing to do with contract jobs. It has more to do with the immorality of government policies and programs. The greater the injustice the more likely there will be defectors.
3
"Two officials said that some of the information the contractor is suspected of taking was dated."
The only thing dated is the NSA mind-boggling lassitude in vetting Booz Hamilton contractors. They already sent NSA Snowden. What does it take to wake these people up--a greeting card from Putin?
The only thing dated is the NSA mind-boggling lassitude in vetting Booz Hamilton contractors. They already sent NSA Snowden. What does it take to wake these people up--a greeting card from Putin?
10
Hopefully the NSA will not hire outside contractors since this seems to be where the problem resides.
2
There have been Government employee traitors as well.
3
"Counterintelligence" is barely a word to the US government.
The lead counterintelligence agency is the FBI - Famous But Incompetent.
The US government is a bloated incompetent bureaucracy that can't get out of it's own way, much less do anything productive.
The lead counterintelligence agency is the FBI - Famous But Incompetent.
The US government is a bloated incompetent bureaucracy that can't get out of it's own way, much less do anything productive.
2
So I guess we hack other countries computers as well??
3
Of course we do. Were you born yesterday?
5
We have been doing that since before other countries even had computers.
1
Once again our government incompetence at its finest. America security agencies can't even keep there employees from stealing secrets. America needs to just disband the NSA. They are of no use they did not stop all the current bombings in America because they are too busy spying on average Americans.
5
Employees are just following the examples of higher ups. Stealing isn't immoral if you can justify the reasons. The US spies on other governments, UN organizations, businesses, etc. There's nothing moral in what's going on so why not!
2
In nuclear security, personnel are ordered to work in teams of two, mitigating espionage and sabotage. Is this so hard to figure out?
7
When the scope of secrecy is all-encompassing, stuff is bound to slop over out of the massive fetid bathtub. Naturally the powers that be will just want to double down on the surveillance state. For freedom.
3
Perhaps he/she was just being 'extremely careless' and his/her actions didn't rise to a 'grossly negligent' level where prosecution is warranted?
Has everyone involved been granted immunity yet? Will his/her Secretary be able to claim attorney-client privilege as well?
Has everyone involved been granted immunity yet? Will his/her Secretary be able to claim attorney-client privilege as well?
10
Will his computer/phone be smashed with a hammer?
3