funsec mailing list archives
Re: Petraeus
From: Rich Kulawiec <rsk () gsp org>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:18:19 -0500
On Mon, Nov 12, 2012 at 01:17:56PM -0700, phester wrote:
4. If the internal mechanisms of government aren't sufficient to (quickly) catch a very very senior person having an affair -- and doing it incompetently -- then why should we believe that they're sufficient to catch a well-trained, careful, diligent spy?By reading their personal mails? Should this be done by an algorithm, or live person?
a) I would hope that any competent spy would encrypt their email *or* would use covert channels (possibly over SMTP, possibly not). b) Of course that still permits traffic analysis, and that certainly has its counter-espionage uses. Add geolocation data from headers and it's even more useful. c) But to answer your question: both have their features/drawbacks. Automation scales and doesn't get tired or careless. But natural language parsing and pattern recognition is still done better by humans. Automation can be hacked, people can be bought. Automation is cheap, people are expensive. So I dunno. Maybe we should make it a job requirement: you cannot be Director of the CIA unless you can demonstrate that you're clueful enough to have an affair and get it away with for at least 6 months. If you're not at least that crafty, duplicitous, underhanded, sneaky, careful, etc. then what makes you think you're qualified to run the CIA? ---rsk _______________________________________________ Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts. https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.
Current thread:
- Re: Petraeus, (continued)
- Re: Petraeus John Bambenek (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus Richard Golodner (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus Marc (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus Paul Ferguson (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus Danny McPherson (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus lists (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus David M Chess (Nov 21)
- Re: Petraeus phester (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus Paul Ferguson (Nov 12)
- Re: Petraeus Rich Kulawiec (Nov 21)
- Re: Petraeus mark seiden (Nov 21)