Edward Snowden's theft incredibly easy

[bemildred]

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According to the officials, the documents Snowden leaked - the memoranda, PowerPoint slides, agency reports, court orders and opinions - had all been stored in a file-sharing location on the NSA's intranet site. The documents were put there so NSA analysts and officials could read them online and discuss them.

Snowden, because he had TS clearance, had access to this net. Not only that, but his job description provided him cover to be the one moving documents around on that net.

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Strangely these comments are in direct contrast with the previous NSA narrative, which painted Snowden as a brilliant cyber tactician who masked his movements on the net - leaving officials clueless as to what he took.

Edward Snowden accessed some secret national security documents by assuming the electronic identities of top NSA officials, said intelligence sources.

"Every day, they are learning how brilliant [Snowden] was," said a former U.S. official with knowledge of the case. "This is why you don't hire brilliant people for jobs like this. You hire smart people. Brilliant people get you in trouble."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/9186497/Edward-Snowdens-theft-incredibly-easy

[The Magistrate]

1. This, Sir, Is The Kind Of Thing Bothers Me Most

I will forgo the sermon, and simply give the text, from Brother Mencken;

"I simply can't imagine competence as anything save admirable, for it is very rare in this world, and those who have it in some measure, in any art or craft from adultery to zoology, are the only human beings I can think of who will be worth the oil it will take to fry them in Hell."

[bemildred]

2. The norm in my experience, Sir.

Sysadmin has always been a position of high trust, because of the absolute power one enjoys over the systems one controls. For PC users this is nothng, but when you work in some huge disk farm it's a different matter.

And this is about what I expected given the nature of the material released, the reaction from foreign frenemies of ours, and what is known of his employment.

Nothing is allowed to interfere with the marketing babble and its dissemination.

[The Magistrate]

4. I Would Agree, Sir

No matter how important a thing may be, people around and in it habitually come to regard it casually, and begin to treat it accordingly.

[bemildred]

3. And Brother Mencken knew whereof he spoke.

“Governments, whatever their pretensions otherwise, try to preserve themselves by holding the individual down … Government itself, indeed, may be reasonably defined as a conspiracy against him. It's one permanent aim, whatever its form, is to hobble him sufficiently to maintain itself.” H. L. Mencken

[The Magistrate]

5. He Is A Favorite, Sir

"Congress consists of one-third, more or less, scoundrels; two-thirds, more or less, idiots; and three-thirds, more or less, poltroons."

[bemildred]

6. The Sahara of the Bozart

http://writing2.richmond.edu/jessid/eng423/restricted/mencken.pdf

A true talent for invective.

[The Magistrate]

7. A Thorough Piece Of Work, That, Sir

Thank you.

[bemildred]

8. My pleasure Sir.

THAT was my introduction to H. L. Mencken, many many years ago, and it's just amazing how easy it was to dig up, knowing what to look for.