Report: Obama, McCain campaigns hit with 'sophisticated' cyberattack
Sophisticated overseas hackers broke in to the computer systems of both the Barack Obama and John McCain campaigns and stole a large amount of data, according to an article published Wednesday by Newsweek. Officials with the FBI and the Secret Service notified Obama staffers in August of the breach after tech consultants for the …
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Why take the data from both camps!?
Any 'organisation' that wasnt able to predict the Republican holocaust that happened last night isn't an organisation that need be considered a major threat!
Probably the Palin party inadvertently stealing both the oppositions and its own files.
Sigh..
Apologies for being off-topic..
But can we have the wide-eyed, crazy-looking Palin thumbnails back? The Flintstone one was good, but the wink picture is way too tame.. I want the one with the crazy look and crazy hair..
security
What firewalls were they using? Microsoft's ICF ?
Re: Andy Bright
Seconded : Why can't we have a Palin icon for "dumb idea" or somesuch? We can't use the Penguin as they don't have them in Alaska - lucky penguins.
Evil Gates - Nobel prize for dumb ideas - good ideas not brought up to date, that is.
something different
why not post an conspiracy theory reply? okay go ahead. this "foreign government" referenced by the feds: Any chance it's the feds? Some shadow group not in the media feed? okay, there. that's outta my system.
government hackers
If a lone researcher can sit down and systematically find flaws in common software, imagine what a governments can do.
It wouldn't surprise me if most major powers have teams hording undisclosed security vulnerabilities. They probably do stuff like this all the time, just without getting caught.
$100,000,000 to elect a new President and
$29.95 spent on computer security....
when they say "sophisticated"
They're really just making up an excuse for having crap security. It's common practice to talk up the competency and technology used in a successful attack - and not just in the IT world, either. It makes the "victim" (read: clueless person/organisation) appear less at fault, if they can persuade the media that they were subject to technologies that the CIA or NSA would be bamboozled by.
The follow-up statement, then goes something like "we've never seen any attack like this". Which can be interpreted as meaning that the 16 year-old work experience kiddy, who's left in charge of the servers (on the basis that he/she has heard of AVG - which in our eyes makes them an expert) didn't know what was going on. Of course, when it's said by a grey-haired CIO in a £1000 suit, it sounds much more credible.
As it turns out, the election's over. No-one cares any more.
The FBI?
No point in them investigating this. The CIA will have covered their tracks far too well.
oooh let me see...
last time I had serious amounts of files downloaded off my Mac.....guess I never have...'nuf said
A Bunch of Sore Losers up to No Good Old Tricks
Who want to bet that it was not the present DODgy Administration ....Cheney Command and Control?
Or if you would prefer, Privatised Special Forces for Elite Abuse and MisUse.
Of course, the only information which they will have gathered [from a Presidential Team worth the Trust of Nations], is that which has been fed to them to have them chasing Red Herrings and their Lost Cause.
Enter the pedant...
<rant mode="withConviction">
"'Serious amount of files' lifted"
Why do people seem to struggle so much with the difference between "amount" and "number"?
A serious NUMBER of files
A serious AMOUNT of data
A serious NUMBER of people
A serious AMOUNT of sugar
It's perfectly simple - if you can't divide it, then it's NUMBER.
Get it right, lads, get it right.
</rant>
re: Why take the data from both camps!?
The FBI etc did it. They want to scare BOTH parties into making sure they think of cyberterror as TERRIFYING and they should just let the "intelligence" agencies do what they must.
Yup, BH time, but it DOES simply explain the situation. Occam's razor and all that.
Re: oooh let me see...
Who said they weren't using Macs? Are you a presidential candidate? If not why would anyone want to steal files from you? 'Nuf said.
RE: Enter the pedant...
Right. Had enough. Language is fluid. Get over it. Just because you know one fact dosen't meen you have to force it on people. That use of number/amount is perfectly acceptable.
From the OED:
Number, n.
1. a. The precise sum or aggregate of a collection of individual things or persons; the quantity or AMOUNT.
You sound like I did when I was 12, a right little smart arse shit. I bet your lots of fun at parties, telling people wonderous facts such as how the host keeps making such fun mistakes as using a red wine glass for white wine, of serving heavy German larger in a tall glass rather than a short stem beer glass.
RE: Enter the pedant...
I expect you get "less" and "fewer" mixed up too, don't you Paul?
Bavarian Illuminati...
...checking to see how each candidate would affect their plans for world domination.
@Paul
Paul, it's only fluid by the lack of application of rigour.
And the fluidity can cause problems.
Imagine being an old Eton-schooled man visiting the everglades. You're very happy at your lovely holiday and wish to let people know. So you tell them you're having a gay old time in their lovely country.
Uh oh.
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