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CIA systems 'hacked' by googling. Dozens of informants globally killed as result

32 points by asax 8y ago

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
slededit 8y ago
According to the article the Iranians used advanced Google techniques like the "AND", and "OR" operators. Truly sophisticated work.
- gowld 8y ago
  The CIA put their top-secret info on the public Internet, because password-protecting it was too inconvenient. Then adversaries found the info. US intelligence services treating foreign informants as expendable, as always. Also seen when US abandoned Afghan translators to be killed by Taliban.
  - Alupis 8y ago
    I dought it's inconvenience... Most likely a form of incompetence, at some level, in some department. Everyone can recognize the severity of this information leaking to "enemies of the state". The time-old saying applies here: "Never assume malice with what can readily be explained by incompetence".
    - r721 8y ago
      From the article: >Former U.S. officials said the internet-based platform, which was first used in war zones in the Middle East, was not built to withstand the sophisticated counterintelligence efforts of a state actor like China or Iran. “It was never meant to be used long term for people to talk to sources,” said one former official. “The issue was that it was working well for too long, with too many people. But it was an elementary system.” >“Everyone was using it far beyond its intention,” said another former official.
      - grigjd3 8y ago
        A legacy system that few were willing to give up; no surprises there.
      - aomix 8y ago
        I've read horror stories about bad sysadmin jobs but users not using a system as intended don't usually have a body count as a result.
      - Just_Smith 8y ago
        I find this the most baffling. I'm also of the mind that assuming malice here is a bit too much, but what's the point of info security if not to protect systems from being used in ways they weren't intended?
  - acct1771 8y ago
    Those aren't translators, those are snitches.
- onetimemanytime 8y ago
  The dead agents and the dismantled spy network show that it worked. Why complicate things, when "AND" + "OR" work just fine? Someone screws up and a site is offline in certain regions for x hours. CIA screws up and people are dead, not to mention sources, work in progress regarding industrial espionage, arms sales etc etc.
zaroth 8y ago
Truly, truly; pathetic. Several dozen people at least knew better and instead of fixing it, tried to bury the guy who raised the alarm. The IG had this information and didn’t act. Completely mind-blowing. Dozens of agents/assets killed. An entire class exploded. Truly, a national embarassment and of course no one is going to jail.
- draw_down 8y ago
  > instead of fixing it, tried to bury the guy who raised the alarm. Ain’t that always the way.

32 points by asax 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

According to the article the Iranians used advanced Google techniques like the "AND", and "OR" operators. Truly sophisticated work.

gowld 8y ago
The CIA put their top-secret info on the public Internet, because password-protecting it was too inconvenient. Then adversaries found the info. US intelligence services treating foreign informants as expendable, as always. Also seen when US abandoned Afghan translators to be killed by Taliban.
- Alupis 8y ago
  I dought it's inconvenience... Most likely a form of incompetence, at some level, in some department. Everyone can recognize the severity of this information leaking to "enemies of the state". The time-old saying applies here: "Never assume malice with what can readily be explained by incompetence".
  - r721 8y ago
    From the article: >Former U.S. officials said the internet-based platform, which was first used in war zones in the Middle East, was not built to withstand the sophisticated counterintelligence efforts of a state actor like China or Iran. “It was never meant to be used long term for people to talk to sources,” said one former official. “The issue was that it was working well for too long, with too many people. But it was an elementary system.” >“Everyone was using it far beyond its intention,” said another former official.
    - grigjd3 8y ago
      A legacy system that few were willing to give up; no surprises there.
    - aomix 8y ago
      I've read horror stories about bad sysadmin jobs but users not using a system as intended don't usually have a body count as a result.
    - Just_Smith 8y ago
      I find this the most baffling. I'm also of the mind that assuming malice here is a bit too much, but what's the point of info security if not to protect systems from being used in ways they weren't intended?
- acct1771 8y ago
  Those aren't translators, those are snitches.
onetimemanytime 8y ago
The dead agents and the dismantled spy network show that it worked. Why complicate things, when "AND" + "OR" work just fine? Someone screws up and a site is offline in certain regions for x hours. CIA screws up and people are dead, not to mention sources, work in progress regarding industrial espionage, arms sales etc etc.

zaroth 8y ago

Truly, truly; pathetic. Several dozen people at least knew better and instead of fixing it, tried to bury the guy who raised the alarm. The IG had this information and didn’t act. Completely mind-blowing. Dozens of agents/assets killed. An entire class exploded. Truly, a national embarassment and of course no one is going to jail.

draw_down 8y ago
> instead of fixing it, tried to bury the guy who raised the alarm. Ain’t that always the way.