Russia's New Ability To Evade NSA Surveillance Is Either A Crazy Coincidence Or Something Much Worse

[FarCenter]

U.S. officials think that Russia recently obtained the ability to evade U.S. eavesdropping equipment while commandeering Crimea and amassing troops near Ukraine's border.

The revelation reportedly has the White House "very nervous," especially because it's unclear how the Kremlin hid its plans from the National Security Agency's snooping on digital and electronic communications.

One interesting fact involved is the presence of Edward Snowden in Russia, where he has been living since flying to Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23.

In July, primary Snowden source Glenn Greenwald told The Associated Press that Snowden "is in possession of literally thousands of documents that contain very specific blueprints that would allow somebody who read them to know exactly how the NSA does what it does, which would in turn allow them to evade that surveillance or replicate it."

So it's either a crazy coincidence that the Russians figured out how to evade NSA surveillance while hosting the NSA-trained hacker, or else it implies that Snowden provided the Russians with access to the NSA's blueprint.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-evading-nsa-and-snowden-2014-3#ixzz2wuqV6Hf8

[Pholus]

1. Wait, they TRAINED the guy and can't figure out what weaknesses he could spill?

Fire the whole damn lot of those worthless sumbeeches then!

[FarCenter]

2. U.S. Scurries to Shore Up Spying on Russia

U.S. military satellites spied Russian troops amassing within striking distance of Crimea last month. But intelligence analysts were surprised because they hadn't intercepted any telltale communications where Russian leaders, military commanders or soldiers discussed plans to invade.

America's vaunted global surveillance is a vital tool for U.S. intelligence services, especially as an early-warning system and as a way to corroborate other evidence. In Crimea, though, U.S. intelligence officials are concluding that Russian planners might have gotten a jump on the West by evading U.S. eavesdropping. (Follow the latest developments on the crisis in Ukraine.)

"Even though there was a warning, we didn't have the information to be able to say exactly what was going to happen," a senior U.S. official says.

To close the information gap, U.S. spy agencies and the military are rushing to expand satellite coverage and communications-interception efforts across Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic states. U.S. officials hope the "surge" in assets and analysts will improve tracking of the Russian military and tip off the U.S. to any possible intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin before he acts on them.

The U.S. moves will happen quickly. "We have gone into crisis-response mode," a senior official says.

http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304026304579453331966405354-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwNDEyNDQyWj

[Pholus]

14. Only the eavesdroppers got taken by surprise...

after all the satellite guys knew the troops were there a MONTH ahead of time.

So why was the COUNTRY taken by surprise? Poor communications between rival turfs again?

After the WSJ article it is clear that the story the intelligence guys want to tell is already not adding up. No surprise there of course...

By the way, one more damning bit in the story -- they have a "surge" of assets to commit all of a sudden. What were those assets doing that was more important than watching a credible rival country with the clear agenda of annexation?

Oh yeah, Google and Facebook. That's what.

Taken together, the two stories imply massive incompetence and mismanagement on the part of our intelligence services.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. You mean they were STOVEPIPING again?

quelle surprise?

[go west young man]

3. One has to remember that Eastern Europeans

led the way on hacking from the early days of the internet. They had very little money so hacking everything was the only way to get the best stuff. They still effortlessly hack the shit out of everything to this day.

[reformist2]

4. I'm calling this one US-based propaganda to get us scared and to rally behind the NSA.

[Pholus]

5. I think it's excuse making for misdirection of resources from real to imaginary threats.

Domestic and European surveillance COULD NOT help in this case.

But that is where our money and time is going -- wasted.

And now they got caught and their excuse is that Eddie is some kind of superspy all of a sudden.

[JimDandy]

7. ^^This^^

[grasswire]

6. yup

A new way to drain the U.S. Treasury of untold billions of dollars! An intel race with the Russkies!

A sucker born every minute. Soon McCain and the usual suspects will be beating this drum.

[PowerToThePeople]

9. And accuse Snowden of some new traitorous act. eom

[grasswire]

10. yes, that too

It's a two-fer. Almost worthy of Rumsfeld.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

26. I liked the word 'provided'.

As opposed to 'obtained'.

Snowden is one guy. He's got to sleep at times. If he's got info still with him, would it really be all that tough for Russia to make copies of whatever drives there are without his permission, and set enormous resources to hacking/cracking in?

The worst thing the US admin did to themselves in their Keystone Kops response to Snowden was to rescind his visa and trap him in Russia. Sheer stupidity.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

8. It could be nothing more than misdirection

Consider the possibility that NSA is still getting somewhere near the same volume of data out of Russia as they had been pre-Snowden. If that's the case, it would be in the best interests of the US for Russia to believe that we could no longer eavesdrop on them. I don't know one way or another, but then again, neither does anyone else, and I'm reluctant to take an unnamed official's word for it.

[Pepper Cat]

11. Reading past the title, we read that THE US THINKS that Russia now has, but didn't previously had

This ability.

But because titles are supposed to attract readers, we are left to believe that is is a fact that Russia just now acquired this ability (translation: Snowden is a Russian spy!).

To say that "US officials think" would be boring.

[GeorgeGist]

12. or this ^^^excerpt

is bullshit intended to stir the republic.

[Cha]

13. No, worries.. haven't you heard?.. eddie's not a fucking traitor.

From your link,FC..

"In July, primary Snowden source Glenn Greenwald told The Associated Press that Snowden "is in possession of literally thousands of documents that contain very specific blueprints that would allow somebody who read them to know exactly how the NSA does what it does, which would in turn allow them to evade that surveillance or replicate it."

From the big mouth himself.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Shhh, this is the new tech they are using

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/kremlin-typewriters_n_3579184.html

I guess the WH does not read Huffpost, or other media that reported that last year.

[FarCenter]

18. Must be one that Putin brought back from Dresden

You'd think they'd specify the Cyrillic keyboard layout.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. For some odd reason the Google only gives me hits

with the QWERTY, but it effectively makes the point.

But here



I wonder if they also recovered the ancient technology of carbon paper?

[Catherina]

17. Too funny. So what's their excuse for 9-11? For Boston?

The fact is they totally suck except when it comes to vacuuming up communications they can never get around to analyzing except retroactively because they don't have enough analysts. How convenient to now blame their ineptitude on Snowden after they stranded him in Russia by canceling his passport so he couldn't get to Latin America.

[rhett o rick]

20. Wonder where Snowden was on 9/11. Maybe we can blame the intel failure on him. nm

[rhett o rick]

21. If the US lost the ability to monitor Russia, wouldnt that fact be Top Secret? nm

[IDemo]

22. Good point n/t

[SunsetDreams]

23. Great point nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. Quick! We have a spook gap!! Send more money to the NSA!!

[rhett o rick]

27. Maybe they would accept our humblest apologizes for ever doubting them. nm

[hootinholler]

25. BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!

Something much worse like a propaganda hit piece.

[HereSince1628]

29. But, but, but we NEED(!1!) a scapegoat.

It would RUIN America's international reputation if the US didn't have the capacity to intimidate a the world's second rate nuclear power.

[SidDithers]

28. DU rec...

For pissing off all the right people.

Sid

[Pholus]

31. Certainly.

I find it amusing that the other group of "right people" seem strangely silent.

Then again, I guess even they can't defend the obvious conclusion. Domestic dragnet surveillance doesn't protect us against legitimate foreign threats and is a waste of resources better used elsewhere.

[rhett o rick]

30. So if the Royal Guards left the Tower of London door open and some nitwit stole the

Crown Jewels, we would solely blame the thief. The Guards (NSA) would have no responsibility.

We give the NSA/CIA billions of dollars and cart blanche freedom from oversight and they let a single person steal all their secrets. And no one is held accountable. This is insane. The very organizations that are supposed to know every single thing that is happening in the world and they had no idea that Snowden was getting so much data. There are simple ways to prevent this. Apple, Comcast, MicroSoft, Google, would never allow this to happen.

Pres Obama has fired people for much less than this terrible breach of security (e.g., van Jones).