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US and UK agents moved after China and Russia decrypt Snowden files
- beltsonata 11y ago>"Well, we are told authoritatively by people in Downing Street, in the Home Office, in the intelligence services that the Russians and the Chinese have all this information and as a result of that our spies are having to pull people out of the field because their lives are in danger." "Authoritatively". How can we tell if this is true or just a PR stunt? I'm naturally suspicious of anything the security services say, but can see that this could have a germ of truth. I have no idea how Snowden encrypted the files, nor do I know if any people are singled out in them. Does anyone know any better?
- mozumder 11y agoKnowing Snowden, the password was probably "1111".
- Immortalin 11y agoOr "password".
- dalke 11y agoWe know his advice to Greenwald was to use a password like "MargaretThatcheris110%SEXY" to avoid dictionary attacks, and in his interview by Jon Oliver he says that short passwords can be brute forced. (See http://www.wired.com/2015/04/snowden-sexy-margaret-thatcher-password-isnt-so-sexy/ http://www.wired.com/2015/04/snowden-sexy-margaret-thatcher-... for both videos.) Therefore, both of you are very likely incorrect.
- doctorshady 11y agoAfter the recent OPM compromise, I'd find it hard to believe the US wouldn't pull out their agents anyway.
- pdkl95 11y agoI sure is convenient timing. The idea that we just found out that both China and Russia had decrypted Snowden's documents right after the government suffered a rather significant security failure requires too many coincidences. A simpler explanation is that other (probably not publicly discussed) sensitive data stolen in the OPM compromised required moving agents, and Snowden is a convenient scapegoat.
- dang 11y agoPlease don't editorialize titles when submitting to HN.
- veqz 11y agoOn the chance that this is true (I have no reason to trust the British government on any surveillance topic), that would mean one of three things: 1. Snowden messed up and chose a bad encryption scheme/key. 2. Russia and China have the ability to break secure encryption schemes. 3. One of the journalists entrusted with the documents messed up with the handling of the keys. Only number 3 seems a little bit possible, and even then I'm skeptical...
- DanBC 11y agoNumber three isn't that unlikely. Encryption is hard to use and subtle mistakes can ruin the encryption. And some of the mistakes are not that subtle. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10276460/David-Miranda-was-carrying-password-for-secret-files-on-piece-of-paper.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10276460/David-... David Miranda carried USB sticks with emcrypted material through a UK border. He also carried a piece of paper with the password. The UK has abused their anti-terror law so ot was entirely predictable that they would abuse the law to detain and question Miranda.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- damagednoob 11y ago4. Another contractor with as much access as Snowden defected.
- beltsonata 11y agoGreenwald has a good critique of the claims here: https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/14/sunday-times-report-snowden-files-journalism-worst-also-filled-falsehoods/ https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/14/sunday-times-r...