7 ms·

How to Overthrow a Government [video]

243 points by eatbitseveryday 10y ago

satyajeet23 10y ago
"I WILL KILL YOU"
franciscop 10y ago
[removed]
- nylsaar 10y ago
  Probably not until you get back.
griffinmahon 10y ago
The speaker's previous presentation at a different year of the same conference, about using online records to fabricate your own death or the birth of a made-up baby, is also worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FdHq3WfJgs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FdHq3WfJgs.
- pilif 10y ago
  Thank you very much for posting this. This is nearly unbelievably bad and also reminded me of last weekend's discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12511202 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12511202 and brings that into a completely new light: Why even bother trying to vanish in order to fake your death when you might just as well just fill out the required forms on your own.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
unixhero 10y ago
I liked the media manipulation part.
1_listerine_pls 10y ago
Made me realize I need to get a farm and a couple of solar panels.
- nxzero 10y ago
  I'm sure marauders would thank you (nicely of course) for all of your hard work to supply them with your booty.
  - eternalban 10y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United...
    - eliwjones 10y ago
      Then the marauders will thank you for your pile of guns as well.
      - TeMPOraL 10y ago
        I sometimes think that the whole fashion around "prepping" is few hardcore survivalists ensuring that there will be lots of food, fuel and weapons stockpiled by the clueless masses and easily accessible after the apocalypse.
        okwhatthe2 10y ago
        Like Civil Defense?
guelo 10y ago
I don't get it, there was a lot of screenshots of consoles and such, is he implying that he actually did do this? .
- olh 10y ago
  Yes but not for real, it revolves around the idea of making hackers the most feared bunch of people.
  - emp_zealoth 10y ago
    But was it done by hackers? Or the whole talk is full of shit?
    - aout 10y ago
      Some was done by hackers. Remember that to topple a gov you need air and ground support, he just covers the tech part :)
- cromulen 10y ago
  He did pentesting for Kuwait government. He's saying he could have done it.
  - eatbitseveryday 10y ago
    Why not follow through with something mild to demonstrate his case (with or without admitting to it)?
    - euccastro 10y ago
      Yeah, why not? (Holy f* s*)
josh_fyi 10y ago
This is the classic book on the topic: Edward Luttwak, Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, 1968
- RGamma 10y ago
  One review on Amazon says "[...] The only asterix one would attach to it is that the second, and most recent, edition was published in 1979, so we don't have anything about dealing with the internet, mobile phone networks, etc.". It seems that's a really big omission in any "practical" handbook. Apparently the author is still alive. Time for a third edition? (and I have yet to watch the video)
  - thomasfoster96 10y ago
    There is a new edition which was published this year (2016). I was able to get it via Amazon - maybe the review is a bit old? I haven’t read much of it so far as I have a few other books on the go but the internet and mobile phones are certainly mentioned. Edit: Revised edition still has the original author. Edit 2: Amazon link (not affiliate link): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674737261/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674737261/ref=oh_aui_deta...
  - HillRat 10y ago
    To be fair, he wrote the original as an analysis of how coups d'etat tended to evolve during the postcolonial period; the "practical guide" was just a bit of academic provocation. (As Luttwak admits, he only knows of one coup that actually used his book as a resource, and it failed abysmally.) I'm totally with you that an entirely new book, post-Arab Spring, is in order, though -- perhaps one half devoted to how to overthrow a government, the other half on how to ruthlessly suppress dissent.
leksak 10y ago
I was expecting to see the comedian for some reason.
- lucb1e 10y ago
  Oh he's a comedian, that explains why the talk was like this. Can't say I found it very amusing though.
pearjuice 10y ago
Will I be on a watchlist after watching this?
- teekert 10y ago
  Of course.
- ablation 10y ago
  Depends. How's your opsec?
- Cthulhu_ 10y ago
  Depends on what watchlist you're referring to. Short answer: yes, multiple, but not because of the subject. What you probably want to ask is 'how big is the watchlist'.
  - hackaflocka 10y ago
    How big is it?
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
  - collyw 10y ago
    Any idea where I could read up more on watchlists. I kind of assumed they are happening but no idea what sort of thing gets you on one other than a sensible guess.
    - pc86 10y ago
      Perhaps if you asked the FBI nicely.
    - chiph 10y ago
      > no idea what sort of thing gets you on one That's the evil nature of them. You don't know how you ended up on one (or how many). You don't even know if you're on one. And if you did, there's no process for getting off it. There was a story several years ago about how one of the US states (Rhode Island??) was dumping everyone convicted of a felony into the national terrorism watchlist. And didn't care, because {shrug} they're felons.
chukye 10y ago
Is he just saying that you can put down a government by faking a lot of news?
- ablation 10y ago
  It appears to be a large part of what he's saying, yes, but it looks like it certainly helps to have the hacking chops to be able to move millions of dollars between hacked bank accounts, compromise state-wide telcos at the root, and have the backing and advice of an international mercenary and special forces veteran.
- mtgx 10y ago
  It's why China is cracking down "Internet rumors", and also why in the U.S., Twitter, Facebook, and Google, are forming an alliance to crack down on "fake news" [1], starting with stuff like censoring Hillary Clinton's passing out video and related trending hashtags [2][3], or videos of North Dakota's pipeline protests [4]. We're going to need a decentralized and censorship-resistant Internet/social media sooner than people think. By the next U.S. election, I fear the these three main sites will have already been co-opted to work as government propaganda arms [5], as a smooth transition from old TV media propaganda to Internet propaganda, as more people cut their cords. The worst part is people won't even be able to easily see it. It's one thing to see a moderator on TV constantly hitting (or praising) a candidate and eventually realizing that maybe he or she isn't very fair or is biased, and may have ulterior motives for doing that. But it's quite another to be so vigilant as to notice when Google shows you mostly pro-Clinton search results for neutral election-related queries, or when Facebook and Twitter "don't" allow some topics to trend (although I think more people are starting to catch on to these tactics, but it's probably not happening fast enough to make a difference this election). [1] https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/14/facebook-twitter-first-draft-google/ https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/14/facebook-twitter-first-d... [2] http://observer.com/2016/09/facebook-and-youtube-show-frantic-alliegence-to-clinton/ http://observer.com/2016/09/facebook-and-youtube-show-franti... [3] http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/09/11/hillary-health-story-missing-twitter/ http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/09/11/hillary-health-stor... [4] http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/15/12926058/facebook-dakota-pipeline-video-censorship-protest http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/15/12926058/facebook-dakota-p... [5] https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradicalize-jihadis-will-be-used-for-right-wing-american-extremists-next/ https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradi...
JshWright 10y ago
Is the 'Chris Rock' in the comments the same Chris Rock who presented the talk? Seems like a pretty unpleasant human being, if that's the case... Petty name calling, racist comments, etc...
- kustid 10y ago
  I didn't do this much work and effort to be dissed by idiots and 13 year olds online that couldn't hack themselves out of a paper bag with a machete. Unpleasant maybe, man of the year haven't entered, discussing a modern day method, focus on the material not the delivery.
  - jungletek 10y ago
    Hey, I'm just some random dickhead, but I enjoyed the talk, and past ones you've done. Hope to get to see one in person at defcon or something sometime. Keep rubbing people and systems the wrong way.
  - JshWright 10y ago
    So... just ignore them?
  - fit2rule 10y ago
    You seem to demand respect. For those who don't know you, nor how great you are, nor indeed why, the presumption of deference is .. lets just say .. off-putting. But, would you consider this a cultural thing? I mean, props and all, but .. I find it hard to take you seriously because of the attitude.
jokoon 10y ago
This belongs to Reddit

satyajeet23 10y ago

"I WILL KILL YOU"

franciscop 10y ago

[removed]

nylsaar 10y ago
Probably not until you get back.

griffinmahon 10y ago

The speaker's previous presentation at a different year of the same conference, about using online records to fabricate your own death or the birth of a made-up baby, is also worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FdHq3WfJgs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FdHq3WfJgs.

pilif 10y ago
Thank you very much for posting this. This is nearly unbelievably bad and also reminded me of last weekend's discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12511202 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12511202 and brings that into a completely new light: Why even bother trying to vanish in order to fake your death when you might just as well just fill out the required forms on your own.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

unixhero 10y ago

I liked the media manipulation part.

1_listerine_pls 10y ago

Made me realize I need to get a farm and a couple of solar panels.

nxzero 10y ago
I'm sure marauders would thank you (nicely of course) for all of your hard work to supply them with your booty.
- eternalban 10y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United...
  - eliwjones 10y ago
    Then the marauders will thank you for your pile of guns as well.
    - TeMPOraL 10y ago
      I sometimes think that the whole fashion around "prepping" is few hardcore survivalists ensuring that there will be lots of food, fuel and weapons stockpiled by the clueless masses and easily accessible after the apocalypse.
      - okwhatthe2 10y ago
        Like Civil Defense?

guelo 10y ago

I don't get it, there was a lot of screenshots of consoles and such, is he implying that he actually did do this? .

olh 10y ago
Yes but not for real, it revolves around the idea of making hackers the most feared bunch of people.
- emp_zealoth 10y ago
  But was it done by hackers? Or the whole talk is full of shit?
  - aout 10y ago
    Some was done by hackers. Remember that to topple a gov you need air and ground support, he just covers the tech part :)
cromulen 10y ago
He did pentesting for Kuwait government. He's saying he could have done it.
- eatbitseveryday 10y ago
  Why not follow through with something mild to demonstrate his case (with or without admitting to it)?
  - euccastro 10y ago
    Yeah, why not? (Holy f* s*)

josh_fyi 10y ago

This is the classic book on the topic: Edward Luttwak, Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, 1968

RGamma 10y ago
One review on Amazon says "[...] The only asterix one would attach to it is that the second, and most recent, edition was published in 1979, so we don't have anything about dealing with the internet, mobile phone networks, etc.". It seems that's a really big omission in any "practical" handbook. Apparently the author is still alive. Time for a third edition? (and I have yet to watch the video)
- thomasfoster96 10y ago
  There is a new edition which was published this year (2016). I was able to get it via Amazon - maybe the review is a bit old? I haven’t read much of it so far as I have a few other books on the go but the internet and mobile phones are certainly mentioned. Edit: Revised edition still has the original author. Edit 2: Amazon link (not affiliate link): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674737261/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674737261/ref=oh_aui_deta...
- HillRat 10y ago
  To be fair, he wrote the original as an analysis of how coups d'etat tended to evolve during the postcolonial period; the "practical guide" was just a bit of academic provocation. (As Luttwak admits, he only knows of one coup that actually used his book as a resource, and it failed abysmally.) I'm totally with you that an entirely new book, post-Arab Spring, is in order, though -- perhaps one half devoted to how to overthrow a government, the other half on how to ruthlessly suppress dissent.

leksak 10y ago

I was expecting to see the comedian for some reason.

lucb1e 10y ago
Oh he's a comedian, that explains why the talk was like this. Can't say I found it very amusing though.

pearjuice 10y ago

Will I be on a watchlist after watching this?

teekert 10y ago
Of course.
ablation 10y ago
Depends. How's your opsec?
Cthulhu_ 10y ago
Depends on what watchlist you're referring to. Short answer: yes, multiple, but not because of the subject. What you probably want to ask is 'how big is the watchlist'.
- hackaflocka 10y ago
  How big is it?
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
- collyw 10y ago
  Any idea where I could read up more on watchlists. I kind of assumed they are happening but no idea what sort of thing gets you on one other than a sensible guess.
  - pc86 10y ago
    Perhaps if you asked the FBI nicely.
  - chiph 10y ago
    > no idea what sort of thing gets you on one That's the evil nature of them. You don't know how you ended up on one (or how many). You don't even know if you're on one. And if you did, there's no process for getting off it. There was a story several years ago about how one of the US states (Rhode Island??) was dumping everyone convicted of a felony into the national terrorism watchlist. And didn't care, because {shrug} they're felons.

chukye 10y ago

Is he just saying that you can put down a government by faking a lot of news?

ablation 10y ago
It appears to be a large part of what he's saying, yes, but it looks like it certainly helps to have the hacking chops to be able to move millions of dollars between hacked bank accounts, compromise state-wide telcos at the root, and have the backing and advice of an international mercenary and special forces veteran.
mtgx 10y ago
It's why China is cracking down "Internet rumors", and also why in the U.S., Twitter, Facebook, and Google, are forming an alliance to crack down on "fake news" [1], starting with stuff like censoring Hillary Clinton's passing out video and related trending hashtags [2][3], or videos of North Dakota's pipeline protests [4]. We're going to need a decentralized and censorship-resistant Internet/social media sooner than people think. By the next U.S. election, I fear the these three main sites will have already been co-opted to work as government propaganda arms [5], as a smooth transition from old TV media propaganda to Internet propaganda, as more people cut their cords. The worst part is people won't even be able to easily see it. It's one thing to see a moderator on TV constantly hitting (or praising) a candidate and eventually realizing that maybe he or she isn't very fair or is biased, and may have ulterior motives for doing that. But it's quite another to be so vigilant as to notice when Google shows you mostly pro-Clinton search results for neutral election-related queries, or when Facebook and Twitter "don't" allow some topics to trend (although I think more people are starting to catch on to these tactics, but it's probably not happening fast enough to make a difference this election). [1] https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/14/facebook-twitter-first-draft-google/ https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/14/facebook-twitter-first-d... [2] http://observer.com/2016/09/facebook-and-youtube-show-frantic-alliegence-to-clinton/ http://observer.com/2016/09/facebook-and-youtube-show-franti... [3] http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/09/11/hillary-health-story-missing-twitter/ http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/09/11/hillary-health-stor... [4] http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/15/12926058/facebook-dakota-pipeline-video-censorship-protest http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/15/12926058/facebook-dakota-p... [5] https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradicalize-jihadis-will-be-used-for-right-wing-american-extremists-next/ https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradi...

JshWright 10y ago

Is the 'Chris Rock' in the comments the same Chris Rock who presented the talk? Seems like a pretty unpleasant human being, if that's the case... Petty name calling, racist comments, etc...

kustid 10y ago
I didn't do this much work and effort to be dissed by idiots and 13 year olds online that couldn't hack themselves out of a paper bag with a machete. Unpleasant maybe, man of the year haven't entered, discussing a modern day method, focus on the material not the delivery.
- jungletek 10y ago
  Hey, I'm just some random dickhead, but I enjoyed the talk, and past ones you've done. Hope to get to see one in person at defcon or something sometime. Keep rubbing people and systems the wrong way.
- JshWright 10y ago
  So... just ignore them?
- fit2rule 10y ago
  You seem to demand respect. For those who don't know you, nor how great you are, nor indeed why, the presumption of deference is .. lets just say .. off-putting. But, would you consider this a cultural thing? I mean, props and all, but .. I find it hard to take you seriously because of the attitude.

jokoon 10y ago

This belongs to Reddit