Snowden Is Using 'Specific' Evidence of the U.S. Hacking China to Stay Out of Jail

[ProSense]

Snowden Is Using 'Specific' Evidence of the U.S. Hacking China to Stay Out of Jail

Alexander Abad-Santos

Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker who has turned the United States intelligence apparatus upside-down, said that he won't be extradited back home without a fight. That fight won't take him to Britain in the meantime, but it does apparently involve letting the Chinese government know that he has information on the United States "using technical exploits to gain unauthorised access to civilian machines" in China. We knew from Snowden's interview this week with The South China Morning Post that he had new information about the U.S. hacking China, but Hong Kong's English-language newspaper reports today that he's got targets, too:

The detailed records - which cannot be independently verified - show specific dates and the IP addresses of computers in Hong Kong and on the mainland hacked by the National Security Agency over a four-year period. They also include information indicating whether an attack on a computer was ongoing or had been completed, along with an amount of additional operational information.

The small sample data suggests secret and illegal NSA attacks on Hong Kong computers had a success rate of more than 75 percent, according to the documents.

If Snowden's information is legit — and there are very few signs that he's been exaggerating his leaks so far — that would make him a person of interest in Beijing for an area of intense interest coming in and out of the country. Beyond China's hacking culture, the U.S. and Chinese governments have accused each other of back-and-forth cyberespionage on government sites, infrastructure, and beyond — and Presidents Obama and Xi made little progress on digital war when they met a week ago. This could be a seriously provocative escalation if Snowden has a backup plan of more leaks as he negotiates his next move, which The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald told The Atlantic Wire he "might" indeed have. Snowden doesn't want the Chinese to surrender him to the U.S. government, which wants to throw him in jail, and these documents — one hint at a time — could be get-out-of-jail free card, at least for a while.

So what's the Chinese government going to do with the other biggest superpower on Earth's most wanted 29-year-old ex-spy? In a separate report today, the Morning Post cites a top advisor, who suggests that the government doesn't want to exploit Snowden and screw up diplomatic relations as Obama and Xi try to get a long: "China has no interest in turning this into a political case," the foreign-policy advisor told the paper. "This issue is not being handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

- more -

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/06/snowden-us-china-hacking/66242/

Oh, this is getting good. He's likely going to need that pardon (fat chance).

Snowden Is Not Welcome In The U.K.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023015636

[UTUSN]

1. All the acts of a common traitor, not a whistleblower. But when his poker chips with the Chinese are

exhausted, good luck!1 Besides the traitor/whistleblower thing, there's the "I don't want it to be about ME!1" thing.

[ProSense]

3. While

All the acts of a common traitor, not a whistleblower. But when his poker chips with the Chinese are exhausted, good luck!

...some are trying to dismiss the relevance of the "direct access" aspect of the story that has now been exposed as inaccurate, it was the alleged bombshell that exploded the story and caused many to overlook that the appropriate steps were taken, warrants and the FISA court.

In the frenzy that followed, people began pushing science fiction (literally) as fact. Everyone knew about the NSA program, and the secrecy of the FISA court is not breaking news, unless this is 1980.

The aspect of the information that fell apart is the difference “between a bombshell and a yawn of a story.”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023012813

The aspect of this leak that is still curious is the China/Hong Kong connection, and remember how puzzled everyone was about his choice to flee to Hong Kong. One has to wonder about the original motive.

[geek tragedy]

2. Property of the Chinese government now.

They control his future.

Blowing the whistle on spying on the US was legit, in my opinion.

What he's doing in China shows that his allegiance is to a foreign power, and that he's a modern day Jonathan Pollard.

[Enrique]

4. Go get him!

never let up! Remember who you are doing it for! The President!

[UTUSN]

5. Come-on, my dear DU pal of so many years, you (should) know that's not what it's about.

The dude is just a cyberkid, undereducated in a rounded way, growing up gamer.

[JackN415]

8. The tragedy is that he probably BS his way to such a job by boostrapping...

I knew many managers in the defense industry were quite ignorant and could be fooled by a fast talking geek-imposter (not real computer wiz geek) into hiring a guy like him. These managers were very insecure themselves about their ignorance of technology - like Dilbert's boss, but nicer. I have witnessed one case and my colleagues and I had to expose such a candidate.

Once Snowden got a foot in the door, he started to build up his credential. When he walked out of CIA, he already had a ticket in his hand to work for any defense/homeland security company such as BAH. No question asked.

[flamingdem]

10. I like your term "geek imposter"

that about sums him up.

If he was that smart he wouldn't be in such a pickle

[JackN415]

12. Thanks. I wouldn't be surprised if he can throw technical jargons out like a true wiz...

One time, a job candidate did that to a colleague, a 60-ish near-retired manager (a very nice guy). He was floored and totally taken in by this guy. He thought hiring him would really cover the weakness of his department.

We totally exposed this BS candidate when this manager asked for our opinions.

[JackN415]

6. Clearly he is a traitor, but how do we know his "stuffs" aren't made up by the Chinese intelligence?

[JaneyVee]

7. Very dangerous game he's playing.

[Whisp]

11. for sure. I think he's being used - he's being someone's sucker.

he may well have the best of intentions and genuinely thinks he is doing the right thing - idealistic to the max. He's wrong to have done this this way, imo, but his motives may have been sincere.

and some asshole(s) preyed on him for these qualities and suckered him in.

I think there will be at least a 3rd shoe to drop - meaning more people involved.

[flamingdem]

9. Sounds like China doesn't want him in their territory

and they aren't that interested in his data.

[Cha]

13. Yeah,

St Snowden is a little chickenshite "Martyr".

thanks ProSense

[dkf]

14. You just wanted this to be secret in perpetuity.

That is so wrong.

[ProSense]

15. What a great argument. n/t

[dkf]

16. Oh are you wishing Obama had told us?

[ProSense]

18. Have you run out of arguments? n/t

[dkf]

20. I know your answer is that whatever he did is correct. Lol.

[ProSense]

21. Yup, you have run out of arguments, not

that any of them were ever impressive.

[dkf]

23. You crack me up.

I know there no sense in trying to convince you of anything.

[ProSense]

24. Yeah,

"I know there no sense in trying to convince you of anything. "

...you'd be wasting the bank apologia, anti-Medicare and RW talking points. Not my thing.

[DevonRex]

19. Looks to me like China has the most to gain from it coming out now.

See my post below.

[DevonRex]

17. "China Is Winning the Cyber War Because They Hacked U.S. Plans for Real War" (Gee, how??)

BY ALEXANDER ABAD-SANTOS | MAY 28, 2013
Ballistic-missile defenses, joint-strike fighters, Black Hawks, and more — Chinese hackers have their hands on plans for these and more of the Pentagon's most sophisticated weapons systems, just the latest sign that the culture of hacking in China continues to put America on the defensive ahead of a tense meeting between President Obama and Xi Jinping, a summit bound to be tense with cyberwarfare diplomacy.

The Washington Post's Ellen Nakashima reports in Tuesday's paper that Chinese cyberthieves have "compromised" mockups that form the "backbone" of some of the U.S. military's most important and high-tech defense technology, and that it could signal a copycat advancement of China's arms, while aiming to "weaken the U.S. military advantage" down the road. The Chinese government, as usual with these attacks — even when they seem connected directly to the People's Liberation Army — are distancing themselves from the pervasive, and this time very internationally unsound, hacking. "The Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group made up of government and civilian experts, did not accuse the Chinese of stealing the designs. But senior military and industry officials with knowledge of the breaches said the vast majority were part of a widening Chinese campaign of espionage against U.S. defense contractors and government agencies," the Post reports.

http://m.theatlanticwire.com/global/2013/05/china-hackers-pentagon/65628/

And there China had their own little hacker right inside the whole goddamned time.

[rug]

22. Well, is his information correct or not?

He would probably be the first to say he's irrelevant.

[JackRiddler]

26. Shhh! Focus on the traitor!

Two minutes hate! Red China! Commies! Grrrrrr!

[JackRiddler]

25. All you sad McCarthyites. Imagine Bush was president.

How highly you'd praise Snowden for the exact same acts for which you purport to condemn him.

Should the United States be waging cyberwarfare? Should it do so without the knowledge of the people? Do you prefer not to know? I don't want to hear the "they do it too" excuse. Who is on top in this game? Who initiated? Who runs it?