Scariest NSA revelation yet: Spooks are RUBBISH at CIPHERS The NSA (yes, that NSA) has triggered a bit of a Tweet-storm, followed by helpless fits of giggles among geeks, by posting a job-ad-Tweet that used a simple Roman-style substitution cipher. tpfccdlfdtte pcaccplircdt dklpcfrp?qeiq lhpqlipqeodf gpwafopwprti izxndkiqpkii krirrifcapnc dxkdciqcafmd vkfpcadf. #MissionMonday #NSA # …
But they don't have the resumé that was hidden in a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard", and that might (or might not be) the correct one.
Besides, if they know so much about everybody, they already know who is perfect for the job, don't they?
I think my tinfoil hat is on too tight
....all the people having a go at the NSA have done EXACTLY what they wanted, you are all talking about it, after all, no such thing as bad publicity.
If it had been extremely hard to crack, I doubt it would of even made the Tech websites, let alone mainstream media.
NSA: 1
Smart arse twaters: 0
Next week, more bait traps.
"Personally, I don't know what I find more disturbing : the fact that the NSA publishes a job recruitment pitch on Twitter, or the fact that the NSA has a Twitter account in the first place."
And so, you betrayed your ignorance to the entire planet. The NSA has long had a Twitter account.
Indeed, far, far longer than I have. But then, I'm not recruiting code monkeys or mathematicians.
The NSA came in from the cold more than 15 years ago. There was a time within my memory when you drove past the exit for their main campus and there was no sign. Today it is well marked, proudly proclaiming it is the headquarters. A friend of mine who worked at Hopkins use to have people who query about a good place to live that was equidistant from Baltimore and DC but wouldn't say much else about their job or why they were moving here. "Ah, you going to work for No Such Agency. That means you probably want a place in Columbia." So even when it was still technically secret, people knew about it and where it was. Granted it did help that my friend worked at a materials research lab that had classified contracts with the agency.
The last time I looked, employees were still discouraged from admitting that they worked for the NSA.
With pressure, they were encouraged to say that they worked for the DoD. With a lot of questioning, rather than raise suspicions, they could admit to working for the NSA.
For the handful I had reveal their affiliation, I simply remarked to the agency affiliation, "Ah, so most of your work is incredibly boring and extremely rarely interesting."
To which I got a nod, smile and appreciating the sensitivity of their agency.
Tip, when making fun of how "lame" a simple a puzzle is, try to get the answer right. (two words missing and one letter extra)!!!
Reg Article:
“want to know what it takes to work at nsa? check back each monday as we explore careers essential to protecting your nation.”
Actual:
“want to know what it takes to work at nsa? check back each monday in may as we explore careers essential to protecting our nation.”
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"You know who is not protecting your nation? The NSA."
First, the NSA is part of the US DoD. As such, they follow orders given by their lawful superiors.
Second, go tell that to two of my friends and one cousin who died in the WTC on 9-11.
You'll need a shovel and your pleas will fall upon literally dead ears for one, for the rest, upon an empty grave.
So, with no due respect, sod off. You have absolutely no clue as to what are real risks in this world.
I happen to know of those risks from first hand experience.
Now, if you want to debate the finer details of what is and is not acceptable, do learn those risks firsthand yourself and we can have an intelligent conversation.
Assuming you don't end up with an RPG removing a sizable part of your anatomy first.
So, we are contemplating and commenting on “want to know what it takes to work at nsa? check back each monday in may as we explore careers essential to protecting our nation.” which is something which all nations would have an interest in securing the brightest and the best to be on their side and therefore protecting your nation too.
One cannot protect any kind of system, and nations are just big scale SCADA systems, unless one also knows how to successfully attack and destroy SCADA systems, and that be simply achieved with the sharing of sensitive proprietary intellectual property/disruptive and/or destructive smarter chatter, and that always has a monumental price put upon it, both from the one extreme side wanting the use of the IP to cause systems collapses and chaos and the other side paying a fortune to have chatter stop and certain information to remain secret and widely undisclosed and generally unavailable.
Such is quite an embarrassment of great riches for that which and/or those who possess such a gift and store of dual/multi-use knowledge and the only essential thing for the likes of an NSA type organisation is to ensure that payment as is/may normally be required and dictated by sensitive proprietary intellectual property holders is always made and guaranteed secure, and that will be made very easy for national/international/internetional security services and virtual protection agencies, for they only need follow the simple instructions which smarter chatterers would provide them with in order to assist and protect them from the harm they might fear and recognise and be unable to resist and overcome.
Such isn’t rocket science, it is just plain texted common sense.
"One cannot protect any kind of system..."
As an information security professional, I disagree with you. Systems can be protected by isolation, disabling non-essential services, proper monitoring, proper security measures overall, protective technologies that are properly implemented and monitored and proper policies enforced.
In every major breach, either policies were not adhered to or protective technologies and isolation of networks was not applied/monitored.
A further case in point, name one classified US information network that was above FOUO that has been successfully breached and exfiltrated data.
Name a NATO classified network that was successfully breached and exfiltrated data.
Name any Russian classified network that was successfully breached and exfiltrated data.
Name any PRC classified network that was successfully breached and exfiltrated data.
No?
Perhaps the The Bank of England?
No?
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The funny part is that if you tried sending twaddle like that, you know the NSA would be spending lots of money to crack it. It should be simple similar cypher with an innocuous message like "pick up milk on your way home" with lots of random errors so it decrypts almost but is possibly 'wrong'. Have someone reply with something like every the third word spoken by Polonius in Act 2 Scene 1 of Hamlet. Repeat as desired but always on the same weekday within a 10 minute window. Keep an eye out for black helicopters, black SUVs with dark windows and tracking devices on your car. First person who gets them to knock on the door wins an all expense paid trip to Cuba, indefinitely.
"Keep an eye out for black helicopters, black SUVs with dark windows and tracking devices on your car."
Funny, I've posted encrypted messages and routinely send encrypted e-mails to my wife and some friends.
The only helicopters I see are either news, cargo service and the occasional OD green ones being built down the road from me.
No black SUV's with dark windows.
As for tracking devices on my car, they'd get bored to death.
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