Snowden Leak: Slow Cyber Defenses Letting Russia, China Hack US

[Purveyor]

Source: The Hill

By Julian Hattem - 01/15/15 05:16 PM EST

Foreign capitals and criminal networks are able to attack private companies and the government because cyber officials aren’t using encryption tools fast enough, according to a secret government report.

Revelation of the 2009 document, which was contained in leaks Edward Snowden gave to The Guardian, comes amid new pressure on encryption technologies, which scramble messages and documents so that they are unreadable to anyone without a specific digital key.

This week, British Prime Minister David Cameron is headed to Washington after lambasting private companies’ use of encryption. Cameron is reportedly planning on pressing President Obama to join his call to prevent Apple, Google and other tech companies from encrypting messages to lock out government officials and other prying eyes.

But according to the newly released document, the absence of those technologies has made it easier for countries like China and Russia as well as ill-intentioned hackers to break into people’s networks and do billions of dollars worth of damage.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/technology/229697-new-snowden-doc-slow-cyber-defenses-letting-russia-china-hack-us

[George II]

1. A five-year old document is a "revelation" of hacking in 2014-2015? Quite the stretch.

[elias49]

3. I think it should be considered a "prospectus"

that's proving true.

[blackspade]

4. Does it's age make it untrue?

The point is that out networks are not secure from government or private penetration.
That is still the case...5 years after this document was written....

[joshcryer]

11. Yes.

Advancements in internet security are exponential.

[George II]

13. If one assumes that technology hasn't advanced in the last five + year, then.....

...."age" doesn't make it untrue.

But that's hardly the case.

[jeff47]

17. Just because technology advances does not mean new technology gets deployed.

Chip-and-pin systems have been the standard in Europe to prevent a breach of a retailer from leading to fraudulent credit card charges.

However, we still have mag stripes on our credit cards instead.

[George II]

19. Does not mean it gets deployed, but it did.

By coincidence, Monday I received my new American Express card, it has a chip, as do Citibank, Visa, MasterCard, Bank of America, etc.

[libodem]

2. We need cyber security

[Demeter]

8. We need Rule of Law and Sanity and Democracy

Instead, we get shafted.

[libodem]

10. Very true

[msanthrope]

5. Let us not forget everything Snowden gave to the Chinese and the Russians.

Thanks, Comrade Eddie!!!

[ucrdem]

6. Seriously.

Team Snowald never fails to amuse.

[msanthrope]

7. they must have thrown him one hell of a 30th birthday party. nt

[elias49]

9. Please remind me.

What exactly did Snowden 'give' to the Chinese?
What did he 'give' to Russia?

[joshcryer]

12. Unlikely he gave them much.

If it turned out Heartbleed was known and disseminated by Snowden et al, they should all be prosecuted. But I hold think it unfortunately likely Heartbleed was just an unfortunate oversight by the NIST/NSA and it just so happened.

Let me reiterate, if Heartbleed was known by the NSA or Snowden had info about it, anyone and everyone involved committed treason. You may consider me a reasonable person msanthrope, but this is that point where I think, again if such an event happened, many people, tens if not dozens of people, would be committing treason against the USA.

Bring out evidence Heartbleed was known by the NSA/NIST, and people spend a lifetime in jail. Oh, and I say Snowden gets a reprieve / pardon.

If only it were so...

[Renew Deal]

14. And Snowden is helping them

Nice

[elias49]

15. Still waiting for an answer about How did Snowden "help" the Russians...

from this OP it sounds like the 'leak' helped the United States! To realize how poor their security was. WTH?
Be patient. You'll come to appreciate him.

[George II]

16. How did this leak help the US?

First, if the 2009 document spurred additional system security, that occurred long before Snowden leaked the document.

Second, the the document was leaked only a month or several months ago, obviously that recent leak did nothing to improve security.

So, how did the leak of this 5 year old document help the US?

[elias49]

18. Meh. It woke some people up

in and out of 'government'.
And I know, you have to laugh about the 'time-line' - like a Rube Goldberg thing.
"...if the 2009 document spurred additional system security,..."
Yeah, that damn 'if'.