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RE: Cryptome Hacked!
From: "Sung J. Choe" <schoe () oicinc com>
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 14:51:15 -1000
How familiar are you with the kind of content that gets posted to
cryptome? I am as familiar as you are.
a) What do you mean by "leftist"?
By scrutinizing some of the occasional statements made by persons posting at cryptome, one can assume that the politics of the site operators leans towards the left. Read the message traffic generated by "The practical reason the US is starting a war." and you will understand.
b) What do you mean by "anti-American" (sic)?
I would personally define anti-American as being in a state of mind where every action taken by the US government is represented as being against American interests. Therefore, my definitions of anti-American and anti-government are essentially identical.
They are structured as logical arguments using real information.
Just because somebody can formulate an argument based on one, two, or three documents does not mean that they grasp the full meaning of the subject in question. Yet, that's how most of the "opinions" and "arguments" are presented; with one or two sources. And besides, what is "real information"? Ever hear of "public diplomacy"?
I've never seen any kind of anarchist advocacy on cryptome. Dissent does not make you "anti-government".
Responsible dissent is indeed a duty of US citizens. How you define responsible is up to you.
d) For the most part, Cryptome distributes documents... like, in plaintext format.
True, but they also present snippits of those docs along with a headline. The sections that they choose to snip fascinates me in terms of the content which they feel is important.
e) How is John Young an "extremist"?
Would you describe him as being conservative, or moderate in his approach? If not, he is an extremist in my eyes.
Are you trying to imply that John Young is trojaning the software that his site (infrequently) distributes?
Not at all. I believe that Mr. Young wishes to provide his community access to good crypto software. I also believe that he is committed to his cause. However, I do think that those who work for/with No Such Agency would like that.
But I don't see what the issue is here at all, since cryptome really doesn't distribute software.
Cryptome (note Crypt) does indeed distribute and advocate the use of PGP and other encryption and/or privacy enhancing software. Given the more-paranoid-than-normal state of most of the cryptome visitors (myself included), I would think that quite a high percentage of them download and use the software for their own reasons. In conclusion, for you to attempt to describe cryptome as if it was C-SPAN, or the Library of Congress is incredible. If you believe that the operators of cryptome have good intentions towards the US government, than you are also naive. .--------------------------------------------------. | Sung J. Choe <schoe[at]oicinc.com>, TICSA | | Systems Administrator, Facility Security Officer | .--------------------------------------------------.----. | Oceanic Imaging Consultants, Inc. | | Phone #: (808) 539-3634 x3634 | .-----------------------------------. 568D CAD6 53A0 92E6 4A2A 4E87 3BA0 5F90 37BB 8EE7
-----Original Message----- From: Kevin Spett [mailto:kspett () spidynamics com] Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:14 PM To: Sung J. Choe; full-disclosure () lists netsys com Subject: Re: [Full-disclosure] Cryptome Hacked! Cryptome Hacked!I have been reading cryptome for years and your comments strike me as rather uninformed. How familiar are you with the kind of content that gets posted to cryptome? a) What do you mean by "leftist"? I've never seen anything on cryptome that promoted socialist ideals. b) What do you mean by "anit-american"? John Young's dedication to distributing accurate, detailed and uncensored information about public policy regarding intellectual property, privacy and international government intelligence make him a much more patriotic than most people who just plaster their minivans with 8.5"x11" American decals. In all the time I've been reading cryptome content, I have never seen opinions misrepresented as facts. Editorials are always framed as pieces of personal opinion and are not off-the-wall Art Bell conspiracy theory. They are structured as logical arguments using real information. c) What do you mean by "anti-government"? I've never seen any kind of anarchist advocacy on cryptome. Dissent does not make you "anti-government". d) For the most part, Cryptome distributes documents... like, in plaintext format. Occaisionally source code for something like DeCSS pops up, but it's really not a software distribution site. e) How is John Young an "extremist"? Has he called for a violent uprising? Does he use criminal methods to further his cause? Are you trying to imply that John Young is trojaning the software that his site (infrequently) distributes? DO you have any kind of proof whatsoever of this? Where are you getting these ideas from? And finally to answer your question, I would suggest that you start by not installing software that is distributed by site that you don't trust. If you're worried about file integrity, hash what you've downloaded and compare with the original ditribution point's records. Finally, you can review source code yourself if you're worried. But I don't see what the issue is here at all, since cryptome really doesn't distribute software. Kevin. ----- Original Message ----- From: Sung J. Choe To: 'full-disclosure () lists netsys com' Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 6:10 PM Subject: [Full-disclosure] Cryptome Hacked! Cryptome.org, a site for privacy enthusiasts and leftists alike, was apparently hacked today. Their server is up but "all files were deleted". Besides the usual anti-American/anti-government vitriol that is usually found at Cryptome.org, they also distribute crypto software. This brings up the following question: What is the best method for ensuring the integrity of software which require a high level of trust? I am almost sure that any crypto software distributed by such extremists as John Young (operator of cryptome.org) has been tampered with in some way. Does anybody else share this opinion? .--------------------------------------------------. | Sung J. Choe <schoe[at]oicinc.com>, TICSA | | Systems Administrator, Facility Security Officer | .--------------------------------------------------.----. | Oceanic Imaging Consultants, Inc. | | Phone #: (808) 539-3634 x3634 | .-----------------------------------. 568D CAD6 53A0 92E6 4A2A 4E87 3BA0 5F90 37BB 8EE7
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Current thread:
- Re: Cryptome Hacked!, (continued)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! Ian Eyberg (Feb 26)
- RE: Cryptome Hacked! Steve Wray (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! Etaoin Shrdlu (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! Kevin Spett (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! yossarian (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! batz (Feb 26)
- RE: Cryptome Hacked! Sung J. Choe (Feb 26)
- RE: Cryptome Hacked! batz (Feb 26)
- RE: Cryptome Hacked! Sung J. Choe (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! yossarian (Feb 26)
- RE: Cryptome Hacked! Sung J. Choe (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! Kevin Spett (Feb 26)
- RE: Cryptome Hacked! Steve Wray (Feb 26)
- Re: Cryptome Hacked! Kevin Spett (Feb 26)