This is how the NSA plans to stop the next PRISM leak
By Tim Sampson on June 19, 2013 Email
While continuing to monitor the online secrets of countless Americans, the National Security Agency has announced plans to keep its own secrets more secure.
While testifying before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday, NSA Director Keith Alexander told members of Congress that his agency would be implementing a "two-person" security system similar to the one adopted by the military in the aftermath of WikiLeaks. The new protocol is a direct response to the information leak by Edward Snowden, who exposed details of the NSA's top secret PRISM program for monitoring online communications.
The "two-person rule" would require anyone copying data from a secure NSA network onto removable storage devices to do so with a second person on hand. In theory, this person ensures that whoever is making the copies is not collecting data for unauthorized purposes.
"Working with the director of national intelligence what we’re doing is working to come up with a two-person rule and oversight for those and ensure we have a way of blocking people from taking information out of our system," Alexander said according to Forbes.
The agency director told the committee that this new security system is still a work in progress. But several members of the committee were surprised this kind of protocol didn't already exist, given the number of private contractors outside the agency, like Snowden, who have access to sensitive material.
Snowden, 29, was a system administrator with the firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He copied thousands of key documents detailing the extent of the PRISM program, including a PowerPoint presentation and a contract between the NSA and Verizon and leaked them to the press before absconding to Hong Kong. Though he is gone, the NSA has nearly a thousand other systems administrators who, like Snowden, mostly work outside of the actual agency.
Snowden's story is in many ways similar to the tale of Army Private Bradley Manning, who copied hundreds of thousands of top secret files onto CDs in order to leak them to WikiLeaks. So it should come as no surprise that the government is responding in a similar way. The two-person rule was adopted by the military after Manning's information dumps.
Even though it would take just a conspiracy of two to circumvent this system, security experts say that implementation of the two-person rule should help protect government information. But according to John Pescatore, director of emerging security trends at the SANS Institute and a former NSA agent, government agencies have been slow to adopt the two-person rule because of how cumbersome it is to implement.
Alexander's comments on improving his agency's leak security came amid a broader legislative discussion about the NSA's justification for the heavy-handed campaign of surveillance carried out under PRISM. The NSA chief claimed that more than 50 attacks have been foiled with information gathered from NSA surveillance programs. But when asked by Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.) if this information was essential to upending these plots, Alexander did not respond.
There apparently are moles in the government....And the government is so damn BIG that securing 'everything' appears to be an almost impossible task....no?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
There apparently are moles in the government....And the government is so damn BIG that securing 'everything' appears to be an almost impossible task....no?
I would say so, the simple fix would be just to stay within the laws of the constitution but no they will expand and more leaks of their unconstitutional actions will be brought to light.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
I think it would be wise, if our legislature continues to use surveillance, that measures be taken to prevent low level contract workers like Snowden from accessing and downloading sensitive personal information.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I think it would be wise, if our legislature continues to use surveillance, that measures be taken to prevent low level contract workers like Snowden from accessing and downloading sensitive personal information.
But you have no problem with them taking our information without permission, so who do you work for box.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
But you have no problem with them taking our information without permission, so who do you work for box.
Most of the information "taken" is what you signed off when you purchased a phone services agreement. Who you call and who calls you... You may not like it but that info is NOT private.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Most of the information "taken" is what you signed off when you purchased a phone services agreement. Who you call and who calls you... You may not like it but that info is NOT private.
So if this was all public information why are they going after Snowden, you can't spin this one box no matter what lies you tell.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
So if this was all public information why are they going after Snowden, you can't spin this one box no matter what lies you tell.
Lies??? Do you think that the phone record of who you call and who calls you is private?
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Lies??? Do you think that the phone record of who you call and who calls you is private?
Again if this is public record why are they going after Snowden, he obviously told us something the government was hiding from us. You can't have it both ways, Snowden can't be a traitor if he leaked public knowledge. The anger is because this wasn't public knowledge and no the government doesn't have a right to know who we call or who calls us.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
Again if this is public record why are they going after Snowden, he obviously told us something the government was hiding from us. You can't have it both ways, Snowden can't be a traitor if he leaked public knowledge. The anger is because this wasn't public knowledge and no the government doesn't have a right to know who we call or who calls us.
What Snowden did was illegal. He broke the law and possibly harmed US Security. Some believe that he exposed a 'wrong that needed righting'... and that may be true, but has nothing to do with the legality of his actions.
If you want the NSA to have no access to secrets... then contact your legislator and change the law. If you want the NSA to continue to access some personal data, then again contact your legislator and support that law.
IMO, the NSA actions are probably necessary so I want them to continue... but I don't trust the access to that data and would like a very different system of oversight and control of the data and who has access to it.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Most of the information "taken" is what you signed off when you purchased a phone services agreement. Who you call and who calls you... You may not like it but that info is NOT private.
Box, the federal government was forcing some of these companies to give up that information through the FISA court.
Box, the federal government was forcing some of these companies to give up that information through the FISA court.
Yea??? And??? I'm sure the phone company didn't want to give up any records. It costs them money to process, cost them time to do it and gains them nothing but a headache and problems.
Is it legal??? If yes, then what is the issue??? If not then prosecute for the illegal actions.
You want it to be a crime when it isn't... so change the laws and stop whining. Grow a pair!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
What Snowden did was illegal. He broke the law and possibly harmed US Security. Some believe that he exposed a 'wrong that needed righting'... and that may be true, but has nothing to do with the legality of his actions.
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But wait you tried to say it was public record, that we were somehow aware that the government was tracking our calls, how is it illegal if it was public knowledge. Again you are trying to have it both ways, thank God for people like Snowden, a real patriot
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
But wait you tried to say it was public record, that we were somehow aware that the government was tracking our calls, how is it illegal if it was public knowledge. Again you are trying to have it both ways, thank God for people like Snowden, a real patriot
I don't know the exact laws, but I would bet that taking secret government data from a US Government secure site is illegal. I don't know the exact laws, but I'm sure that disclosing govt secrets is also illegal.
I don't think US govt secrets are necessarily a bad thing... like you do.
Say for example, someone like Snowden in Pakistan had contacted US authorities to tell them the location of Osama BinLaden... and his 'secret' identity was compromised. As a result, Muslim extremists found the informer and executed him. US Interests are harmed, and no gain for the USA. Yea... that secret should be kept.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I don't know the exact laws, but I would bet that taking secret government data from a US Government secure site is illegal. I don't know the exact laws, but I'm sure that disclosing govt secrets is also illegal.
I don't think US govt secrets are necessarily a bad thing... like you do.
Say for example, someone like Snowden in Pakistan had contacted US authorities to tell them the location of Osama BinLaden... and his 'secret' identity was compromised. As a result, Muslim extremists found the informer and executed him. US Interests are harmed, and no gain for the USA. Yea... that secret should be kept.
So is it classified information or is it public knowledge, you said people sign away their rights when they get a phone, where in the contract does it say that. And if it does say that why is it illegal to bring it out to the public. You don't even know what you are defending.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
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