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OK guys we've had a security breach. Let's fire all the guys who look after security! Oh and everybody has to work with a partner so the work output of our rem

OK guys we've had a security breach. Let's fire all the guys who look after security! Oh and everybody has to work with a partner so the work output of our remaining workforce is halved. Idiots.

oroup 13y ago
"First rule of government spending: why buy one when you can have two for twice the price?"
sage_joch 13y ago
I take it you're not a fan of pair programming. ;-)
- Sauer_Kraut 13y ago
  Those second set of eyes, always judging(helping) and meddling(contributing). Damn(bless) them.
u2328 13y ago
Don't get me wrong. I think Snowden is a patriot, but read between the lines here. Security breaks at the interface, and for the NSA, it broke at the interface between itself and it's contractors. Snowden was a Booz Allen Hamilton employee, so just like a diseased appendage threatening the rest of the body, I think the NSA is going to start cutting Booz off. Cronyism between the government and private business only extends so far. Booz has become a liability for the NSA, and they're not going to let that relationship, no matter how cozy, threaten the whole thing.
- Sauer_Kraut 13y ago
  What indicates they will be cut off?
  - u2328 13y ago
    Cutting sysadmins by 90% is a big indicator. There's also been a lot of talk from former NSA about security risks involved with contractors with top secret security clearances. The writing is on the on wall.
    - Sauer_Kraut 13y ago
      For employee numbers, not contracts. If anything it stands there will be a higher concentration of work and monies given to the immune likes of Booz Allen Hamilton.
- Amadou 13y ago
  If that's what's going on, then it is pure CYA. There is no practical difference between a contractor and a direct employee. Yes it seems like security clearance vetting has been outsourced (for contractors only?) in recent years. But assuming everybody did their job right an employee is no more trustworthy than a contractor. I'm entirely willing to believe it is CYA - based on my experience working classified programs practically all security procedures are CYA: Provably follow the checklist and you won't get fired if something goes wrong. Don't worry that the checklist is full of holes like swiss cheese, the checklist is more important than actual security.
- bas 13y ago
  I don't see them cutting Booz off. I do see them enforcing stricter standards for employing contractors. Prospects lacking either an elite degree or distinguished military service are likely to encounter significant resistance to employment within the National Business Park and its environs.
wmeredith 13y ago
Seriously. At this point the only thing really keeping the gov't in check is their own ineptitude.
tedivm 13y ago
How does partners help anything? Snowden knew he was going to get caught, so increasing the chances of him getting caught would have done very little.
- wmf 13y ago
  Presumably the two-man rule would have caught him before he could leak anything.
  - otakucode 13y ago
    Apparently the NSA has never investigated the Milgram experiments of the experiments done as followup? Yes, most people will just go along and do whatever they are told - even if they are told to hurt or kill people. Very few people will resist if they perceive someone else as being in control and bearing the responsibility. BUT there is an exception to this. Once ONE person decides to rebel and refuses, it spreads like wildfire. If Snowden had had to work with a team of a dozen people and he decided to resist their secrecy, it's most likely that the rest of the group would agree and join him. At least as likely as it is that the group will go along without question for awhile and that people like Snowden will be rare.
- e12e 13y ago
  If he got caught before he could leak any data, that would've been a win for the forces that want to keep this stuff under wraps (I hesitate to say a win for the NSA, because I actually believe there might be a few people there still that want to try to fulfil the original mission, as opposed to commit as many criminal acts as possible). It's a little like pairing up soldiers when you order them to commit a war crime: refusal to obey orders will get you shot -- it raises the bar of refusal by having to convince someone else to risk their life by not taking yours.
wmf 13y ago
Alternate interpretation: Hey guys, let's try this DevOps thing I read about in InfoWorld; it says you can reduce the number of sysadmins by 90%.

OK guys we've had a security breach. Let's fire all the guys who look after security! Oh and everybody has to work with a partner so the work output of our remaining workforce is halved. Idiots.

oroup 13y ago

"First rule of government spending: why buy one when you can have two for twice the price?"

sage_joch 13y ago

I take it you're not a fan of pair programming. ;-)

Sauer_Kraut 13y ago
Those second set of eyes, always judging(helping) and meddling(contributing). Damn(bless) them.

u2328 13y ago

Don't get me wrong. I think Snowden is a patriot, but read between the lines here. Security breaks at the interface, and for the NSA, it broke at the interface between itself and it's contractors. Snowden was a Booz Allen Hamilton employee, so just like a diseased appendage threatening the rest of the body, I think the NSA is going to start cutting Booz off. Cronyism between the government and private business only extends so far. Booz has become a liability for the NSA, and they're not going to let that relationship, no matter how cozy, threaten the whole thing.

Sauer_Kraut 13y ago
What indicates they will be cut off?
- u2328 13y ago
  Cutting sysadmins by 90% is a big indicator. There's also been a lot of talk from former NSA about security risks involved with contractors with top secret security clearances. The writing is on the on wall.
  - Sauer_Kraut 13y ago
    For employee numbers, not contracts. If anything it stands there will be a higher concentration of work and monies given to the immune likes of Booz Allen Hamilton.
Amadou 13y ago
If that's what's going on, then it is pure CYA. There is no practical difference between a contractor and a direct employee. Yes it seems like security clearance vetting has been outsourced (for contractors only?) in recent years. But assuming everybody did their job right an employee is no more trustworthy than a contractor. I'm entirely willing to believe it is CYA - based on my experience working classified programs practically all security procedures are CYA: Provably follow the checklist and you won't get fired if something goes wrong. Don't worry that the checklist is full of holes like swiss cheese, the checklist is more important than actual security.
bas 13y ago
I don't see them cutting Booz off. I do see them enforcing stricter standards for employing contractors. Prospects lacking either an elite degree or distinguished military service are likely to encounter significant resistance to employment within the National Business Park and its environs.

wmeredith 13y ago

Seriously. At this point the only thing really keeping the gov't in check is their own ineptitude.

tedivm 13y ago

How does partners help anything? Snowden knew he was going to get caught, so increasing the chances of him getting caught would have done very little.

wmf 13y ago
Presumably the two-man rule would have caught him before he could leak anything.
- otakucode 13y ago
  Apparently the NSA has never investigated the Milgram experiments of the experiments done as followup? Yes, most people will just go along and do whatever they are told - even if they are told to hurt or kill people. Very few people will resist if they perceive someone else as being in control and bearing the responsibility. BUT there is an exception to this. Once ONE person decides to rebel and refuses, it spreads like wildfire. If Snowden had had to work with a team of a dozen people and he decided to resist their secrecy, it's most likely that the rest of the group would agree and join him. At least as likely as it is that the group will go along without question for awhile and that people like Snowden will be rare.
e12e 13y ago
If he got caught before he could leak any data, that would've been a win for the forces that want to keep this stuff under wraps (I hesitate to say a win for the NSA, because I actually believe there might be a few people there still that want to try to fulfil the original mission, as opposed to commit as many criminal acts as possible). It's a little like pairing up soldiers when you order them to commit a war crime: refusal to obey orders will get you shot -- it raises the bar of refusal by having to convince someone else to risk their life by not taking yours.

wmf 13y ago

Alternate interpretation: Hey guys, let's try this DevOps thing I read about in InfoWorld; it says you can reduce the number of sysadmins by 90%.