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| President Bush Directs NSA To Spy On US Government |
| 2008-01-28 |
| Not content with spying on other countries, the NSA (National Security Agency) will now turn on the US's own government agencies thanks to a fresh directive from president George Bush. Under the new guidelines, the NSA and other intelligence agencies can bore into the internet networks of all their peers. The Bush administration pulled off this spy expansion by pointing to an increase in the number of cyber attacks directed against the US, possibly from foreign nations. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will spearhead the effort around identifying the source of these attacks, while the Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon will concentrate on retaliation. The Washington Post appears to have broken the news about the new Bush-led joint directive, which remains classified. The paper reported that the directive - National Security Presidential Directive 54/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23 - was signed on Jan. 8. Earlier reports from the Baltimore Sun documented the NSA's plans to add US spying to its international snooping duties. The government points to cyber attacks against the State, Commerce, Defense and Homeland Security departments as the impetus for expanding the NSA's powers. "U.S. officials and cyber-security experts have said Chinese Web sites were involved in several of the biggest attacks back to 2005, including some at the country's nuclear-energy labs and large defense contractors," the Post reported. Critics of the new directive will point to the NSA's ability to operate in total secrecy as cause for concern. More troubling, however, may be the Pentagon and Homeland Security's aspirations to hit attackers with counter-strikes. Proving that a nation rather than a rogue set of attackers are behind a cyber attack will likely be very difficult. In addition, the international community has yet to address the rules of cyber war in any meaningful way. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #20 seems that the "Bad" would just give each other very good grades and slip through Can you say 'TSA management' |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-01-28 22:12 |
| #19 DIGG > RUMMY RESURFACES - CALLS FOR US GLOBAL "PROPANGANDA AGENCY". Federal [SSSSHHHHHHH, Empire-level] Agency for Global Communications??? REDDIT > NATIONAL SCIENCE ADVISOR position gets the boot from Dubya. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-28 20:23 |
| #18 RJ, Big problem here, if the orginazation is rotten, just how do you identify the 'good' folks within, seems that the "Bad" would just give each other very good grades and slip through? Only the tech staff (properly vetted--I am sure it can be done). No management spinmeisters need to apply kinda proposition. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-01-28 19:19 |
| #17 The Washington Post appears to have broken the news about the new Bush-led joint directive, which remains classified. Might that not be the reason for the NEED to spy on US communications? When will the government of the United States begin cracking down on traitors who are more interested in projecting a socialist America than in following their OATH to support and defend the Constitution? I certainly would be quite willing to sit on a jury and find some of these jacka$$es guilty of treason, and watch them hang. I have friends at most of the Washington security agencies, and I doubt any of THEM are spreading this crap. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-01-28 19:01 |
| #16 "If not NSA/CSS, then WHO?" Old Spook, I thought the USAF what trying to be put in charge of network security? Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2008-01-28 18:23 |
| #15 Big problem here, if the orginazation is rotten, just how do you identify the 'good' folks within, seems that the "Bad" would just give each other very good grades and slip through? That is exactly what has been happening with regard to promotions for a long time... |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2008-01-28 17:33 |
| #14 The agency is rotten and should be sacked. Good people then transfered to where they may be needed Big problem here, if the orginazation is rotten, just how do you identify the 'good' folks within, seems that the "Bad" would just give each other very good grades and slip through? |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-01-28 16:17 |
| #13 Go, President Bush, go!!! He's sprinting home and breaking all records. Interesting the WAPO broke this and not the NYSlimes. Accountability ought to really strike fear into any treacherous hearts within our own government!!! |
| Posted by: Danielle 2008-01-28 16:17 |
| #12 Yup. Just noting that there are some good and dedicated people at Langley who get tarred with the politicized actions of others in the agency. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-01-28 15:48 |
| #11 lotp, what good that does when the people that take the results of tech analysis spin it through their political paradigm (leftist) and then make decisions based on that? The agency is rotten and should be sacked. Good people then transfered to where they may be needed and where result of their work would be used as intended, not as a buttress of political hackery. MHO. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-01-28 15:46 |
| #10 There are some very good and solidly patriotic people in the CIA, at least on the technical analysis side. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-01-28 15:27 |
| #9 I trust the NSA/CSS far more than the CIA or freakin' congress. In 100% agreement. Stipulating, though, I don't trust CIA at all. It was corroded from within by leftards in the last 25 years. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-01-28 15:25 |
| #8 I trust the NSA/CSS far more than the CIA or freakin' congress. I think that's the whole idea here. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-01-28 15:03 |
| #7 Just like my employer is entitled to read my email. In fact, they could even read what I post on Rantburg if it wouldn't bore them to tears. That's because it's their system I'm using. I suppose the Register is unconcerned about cyber attacks being mounted against US, UK and other government computers from China. They'd probably think it was Bush's fault if the Chicoms hacked into the Register's computers and then leaked some of their secrets. What a rag. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-01-28 12:50 |
| #6 I trust the NSA/CSS far more than the CIA or freakin' congress. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-01-28 12:33 |
| #5 Ah, gee, we havent even talked about the rules yet. I guess that means we can do whatever we want. Oh, yeah, we can already do that. |
| Posted by: Don Vito Thaitch5852 2008-01-28 12:18 |
| #4 I'm still pissed off the funding for NSA's "selinux" programs were pulled. |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2008-01-28 11:55 |
| #3 The Full Title of that agency is The National Security Agency and Central Security Service. People tend to forget aobut the CSS, but the NSA not only breaks comms, it SECURES them - all of them that the US uses. And *that* is why the NSA/CSS gets the job of securing the national governmental infrastructure. No conspiracy theories needed. These other governmental agencies do not have the expertise, history, brainpower, or attitude to provide solid security of their own networks. One question for the critics: If not NSA/CSS, then WHO? Dumbasses. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-01-28 11:43 |
| #2 More troubling, however, may be the |
| Posted by: Enver Phusomp9341 2008-01-28 11:28 |
| #1 More troubling, however, may be the Pentagon and Homeland Security's aspirations to hit attackers with counter-strikes. How dare we retaliate against an attacker. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2008-01-28 11:21 |