Afghanistan: Special Forces Under CIA Control Would be Considered Spies, Allowing White House to Claim U.S. Troops Have Been Withdrawn
March 5th, 2012
Via: AntiWar:
Top Pentagon officials are floating an idea to put elite special operations forces under CIA control in Afghanistan after 2014, sources told The Associated Press.
The plan is one of several possible scenarios being considered and has not yet been presented to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the White House, or the relevant congressional oversight committees.
If the plan were adopted, the U.S. government would be able to officially say that there are no more troops in Afghanistan, because once the special operations teams are assigned to CIA control they become spies. This would obviously hinder any potential for accountability and transparency, since activities and funding would become classified and journalists or other forms of oversight would not be welcomed.
Obama, Iran and Preventive War
March 5th, 2012Via: Salon:
President Obama yesterday joined virtually every U.S. political leader in both parties in making the obligatory, annual pilgrimage and oath-taking to AIPAC: a bizarre ritual if you think about it. During his speech, he repeatedly emphasized that he “has Israel’s back,” rightfully noting that his actions in office prove this (“At every crucial juncture – at every fork in the road – we have been there for Israel. Every single time”). One of his goals was commendable — to persuade the Israelis not to attack Iran right now – but in order to accomplish that, he definitively vowed, as McClatchy put it, that “he’d call for military action to prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapon.” In other words, he categorically committed the U.S. to an offensive military attack on Iran in order to prevent that country from acquiring a nuclear weapon; as AP put it: “President Barack Obama said Sunday the United States will not hesitate to attack Iran with military force to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
Is that not the classic case of a “preventive” war (as opposed to a “preemptive” war), once unanimously scorned by progressives as “radical” and immoral when the Bush administration and its leading supporters formally adopted it as official national security doctrine in 2002? Back in 2010, Newsweek‘s Michael Hirsh documented the stark, fundamental similarities between the war theories formally adopted by both administrations in their national security strategies, but here we have the Bush administration’s most controversial war theory explicitly embraced: that the U.S. has the right not only to attack another country in order to preempt an imminent attack (pre-emptive war), but even to prevent some future, speculative threat (preventive war). Indeed, this was precisely the formulation George Bush invoked for years when asked about Iran. This theory of preventive war continues to be viewed around the world as patently illegal — Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Minister last week said of the “all-options-on-the-table” formulation for Iran: some of those options “are contrary to international law” — and before 2009, the notion of “preventive war” was universally scorned by progressives.
Britain: Government Plans Radical Privatization for Police
March 5th, 2012I like this moment of clarity from the unnamed West Midlands police authority spokesman:
“Combining with the business sector is aimed at totally transforming the way the force currently does business – improving the service provided to the public.”
Law enforcement = business.
If you start thinking about Mussolini and corporatism as you read the piece below, I think you’re on the right track. And here’s a fun little fact that many people don’t know about Il Duce:
In 1917, Mussolini got his start in politics with the help of a £100 weekly wage from MI5, the British Security Service; this help was authorised by Sir Samuel Hoare.
Via: Guardian:
Private companies could take responsibility for investigating crimes, patrolling neighbourhoods and even detaining suspects under a radical privatisation plan being put forward by two of the largest police forces in the country.
West Midlands and Surrey have invited bids from G4S and other major security companies on behalf of all forces across England and Wales to take over the delivery of a wide range of services previously carried out by the police.
The contract is the largest on police privatisation so far, with a potential value of £1.5bn over seven years, rising to a possible £3.5bn depending on how many other forces get involved.
This scale dwarfs the recent £200m contract between Lincolnshire police and G4S, under which half the force’s civilian staff are to join the private security company, which will also build and run a police station for the first time.
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The joint West Midlands/Surrey “transformation” programme, which has strong backing from the Home Office, looks set to completely redraw the accepted boundaries between public and private and the definition of frontline and back-office policing.
The programme has the potential to become the main vehicle for outsourcing police services in England and Wales. It has been pioneered by the West Midlands chief constable, Chris Sims, and Mark Rowley, who has just moved to the Metropolitan police from the post of Surrey chief constable. The pair lead on these matters for the Association of Chief Police Officers.
The breathtaking list of policing activities up for grabs includes investigating crimes, detaining suspects, developing cases, responding to and investigating incidents, supporting victims and witnesses, managing high-risk individuals, patrolling neighbourhoods, managing intelligence, managing engagement with the public, as well as more traditional back-office functions, such as managing forensics, providing legal services, managing the vehicle fleet, finance and human resources.
A West Midlands police authority spokesman said: “Combining with the business sector is aimed at totally transforming the way the force currently does business – improving the service provided to the public.
“The areas of service listed in this notice are deliberately broad to allow the force to explore the skills, expertise and solutions a partnership could bring.” He said not all the activities listed would necessarily be included in the final scope of the contract, but if the force added other activities later a “new and costly procurement exercise” would be needed.
The contract notice does state that “bidders should note that not all these activities will necessarily be included in the final scope, and that each police force will select some activities from these areas where they see the best opportunities for transformation”. But the police clearly want to test whether it is possible for new areas of policing to be provided by private companies.
Research Credit: Timbooch
International Observer Group Says ‘Serious Problems’ in Russian Presidential Election
March 5th, 2012Yes, but at least it’s another excuse to link to Vladimir Putin, Action Man.
Via: The Canadian Press:
There were “serious problems” in the vote that returned Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency, the head of the major international election observer mission said Monday, adding fuel to an opposition testing its strength with plans for a massive protest rally.
Putin rolled to victory as expected Sunday to return to the Kremlin and keep his hold on power for six more years, but opponents claim the voting was rigged. A rally has been set for Monday evening on Moscow’s Pushkin Square, one of the central city’s most iconic locations, with news reports say some 12,000 police and troops will be on duty to ensure order.
A brief synopsis by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission did not address complaints of widespread cases of people casting multiple ballots, but said the election “was assessed negatively” in almost a third of polling stations observers visited.
“There was no real competition, and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt,” said Tonino Picula, the head of the short-term observer mission.
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Putin claimed victory Sunday night when fewer than a quarter of the votes had been counted, his eyes brimming with tears. He defiantly proclaimed just outside the Kremlin walls before a sea of supporters that they had triumphed over opponents intent on “destroying Russia’s statehood and usurping power.”
U.S. Special Forces Command Wants Medium Range Missile System for SUVs
March 5th, 2012Via: FBODaily:
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Special Operations Research, Development and Acquisition Center (SORDAC), on behalf of the warfighter, seeks information from industry for a Medium Range Precision Strike System (MRPSS).The weapons system should provide the capability for precision engagements by U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) users against enemy forces. The entire system is to be portable on a light, commercially available truck. Thus the entire system must weigh no more than 900 pounds and not exceed a dimension of 76″X86″X200″ including all cables, power sources, fire control and any other required accessories. The system is required to be used both day and night, in all weather conditions in order to engage enemy personnel in the open, light structures, and vehicles. The enemy vehicles could be stationary or moving commercial SUVs, pick-ups, or sedans. The system, at a minimum, should include a Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) and Semi-Active Laser (SAL) terminal homing guidance system. It is desirable to have additional guidance modes such as, but not limited to, millimeter wave radar, synthetic aperture radar, imaging infrared or Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). It is highly desirable for the system to be capable of static or moving employment (from friendly vehicles on the move). The MRPSS should be capable of engaging at a threshold maximum range of not less than thirty (30) kilometers and an objective maximum range of not less than one hundred (100) kilometers and a minimum range threshold capability of five (5) kilometers and an objective range of one hundred (100) meters with the intent of the engagement to be a K-kill of personnel in the open with no protective gear. While the sources sought is directly related to ground-to-ground engagements it is highly desirable that the system be compatible with various fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
Speculators Who Inflated Property Bubble to Get Bailout
March 5th, 2012Via: Bloomberg:
The Obama administration will extend mortgage assistance for the first time to investors who bought multiple homes before the market imploded, helping some speculators who drove up prices and inflated the housing bubble.
Landlords can qualify for up to four federally-subsidized loan workouts starting around May, as long as they rent out each house or have plans to fill them, under the revamped Home Affordable Modification Program, also known as HAMP, according to Timothy Massad, the Treasury’s assistant secretary for financial stability. The program pays banks to reduce monthly payments by cutting interest rates, stretching terms, and forgiving principal.
The government’s need to protect neighborhoods from blight and renters from eviction by keeping the current owners in place is outweighing concern that taxpayers will end up bailing out real-estate investors. The program is being enlarged after less than 1 million borrowers modified loans through HAMP, compared with the administration’s stated goal in 2009 of helping 3 million to 4 million homeowners.
“When we started the program we focused on owner-occupied houses because the need was so great and we wanted to target the efforts to that group,” said Massad. “Given where we are today, more and more people recognize that vacant properties are a problem no matter how they became vacant.”
Banker Resignations
March 5th, 2012I have no idea what a normal rate of resignations is, but, for whatever it’s worth: American Kabuki: 116 RESIGNATIONS FROM WORLD BANKS 3/2/12.
Research Credit: MoneyMustGo
Feds Unlock Suspect’s Computer Without Her Help
March 4th, 2012As it turns out, the ex-husband provided a list of possible passwords to the government.
Via: Denver Post:
A dispute over whether requiring a bank-fraud suspect to unlock her computer violates the suspect’s rights against self-incrimination has shifted after federal authorities got into the computer another way.
An attorney for Ramona Fricosu confirmed this morning that federal investigators have been able to unlock the laptop in question without Fricosu’s help. Detectives seized the laptop, which they argued belonged to Fricosu, during a search warrant but were unable to get into it because it was encrypted.
…
Dubois wrote in an e-mail today that Fricosu’s co-defendant — Scott Whatcott, who is also her ex-husband — provided a list of possible passwords to investigators last month. Whatcott gave the passwords to investigators after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver declined to review Blackburn’s decision.
Dubois wrote that Whatcott was apparently worried that Fricosu, with whom he has two children, could be sent to jail for contempt if she failed to unlock the computer. Dubois maintained, as he has before, that Fricosu may have forgotten the computer’s password or never known it.
“The government tried these passwords,” Dubois wrote, “and one of them was the right password.”
Related: Judge Orders Defendant to Decrypt Laptop
The Little White Box That Can Hack Your Network
March 4th, 2012Smaller organizations might not have the equipment or the expertise to defend against the Pwn Plug, but for enterprises to get nailed by this thing amounts to comedy gold. Note: The U.S. Department of Defense is a large Pwn Plug customer. *chortle*
The first line of defense should be to train staff to resist social engineering attacks. Without this training, people will tend to let an attacker drive a bus through the front door with little more than a smile and a please.
The article describes the Pwn Plug being installed by a penetration analyst using common social engineering methods. Hilariously, it goes on to describe how approved installations are being carried out by Bank of America:
Porcellos says that the Bank of America is mailing the Pwn Plug to its regional offices and having bank mangers plug them into the network. Then security experts at corporate HQ can check the network for vulnerabilities.
Who needs Comedy Central when managers receive boxes in the mail from “headquarters” *wink* with memos directing them to plug devices into the internal network? These antics are right out of a clown act at a circus.
Anyway, the point is that the social engineering vectors are almost always neglected, and the easiest to exploit.
Let’s turn to technical countermeasures:
If you’re concerned about your organization’s vulnerability to a Pwn Plug-type of attack (and if you’re not, you should be), make sure that your propellerheads have implemented port security on your network switches.
Here’s how to do it on Cisco gear: Configuring Port Security:
You can use port security to block input to an Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, or Gigabit Ethernet port when the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the station attempting to access the port is different from any of the MAC addresses specified for that port.
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When a secure port receives a packet, the source MAC address of the packet is compared to the list of secure source addresses that were manually configured or autoconfigured (learned) on the port. If a MAC address of a device attached to the port differs from the list of secure addresses, the port either shuts down permanently (default mode), shuts down for the time you have specified, or drops incoming packets from the insecure host. The port’s behavior depends on how you configure it to respond to a security violation.
When a security violation occurs, the Link LED for that port turns orange, and a link-down trap is sent to the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) manager.
Now, let’s assume that someone on the inside spoofs the MAC on the Pwn Plug AND plugs it into the correct port on a switch configured for port security. Fine. Domain sign on should be required to access anything.
The last place I worked at in the U.S. implemented this on the internal network after a devastating attack cost them millions of dollars. Some of the IT staff tried to get their own devices connected. They knew that alien MACs would result in messages showing up on the Blackberries of people they didn’t want showing up at their cubes. Mmmkay? They also knew their approved MACs and they knew to which ports they were assigned. Unfortunately, spoofing the MACs AND plugging into the correct ports on the switch just landed them on the domain controller prompting for login. Ah well, back to work…
So, if your IT staff is the temp-receptionist and you selected your network switches from a grab bag of sale items at Fry’s—mixed in amongst the dehydrated ice cream and $2 laser pointers—you’re probably going to experience severe pain.
As for you bozos running Cisco gear without port security… Have a nice day! But first, could you just walk into the network closet and plug this box into any open port on the switch? You know, that thing with the blinky lights. Yeaaaaah, that would be great.
(If it has been a while since you’ve seen Office Space, here’s a sound board that you can use to augment my commentary with helpful statements from Bill Lumbergh.)
Via: Wired:
When Jayson E. Street broke into the branch office of a national bank in May of last year, the branch manager could not have been more helpful. Dressed like a technician, Street walked in and said he was there to measure “power fluctuations on the power circuit.” To do this, he’d need to plug a small white device that looked like a power adapter onto the wall.
The power fluctuation story was total bullshit, of course. Street had been hired by the bank to test out security at 10 of its West Coast branch offices. He was conducting what’s called a penetration test. This is where security experts pretend to be bad guys in order to spot problems.
In this test, bank employees were only too willing to help out. They let Street go anywhere he wanted — near the teller windows, in the vault — and plug in his little white device, called a Pwn Plug. Pwn is hacker-speak for “beat” or “take control of.”
“At one branch, the bank manager got out of the way so I could put it behind her desk,” Street says. The bank, which Street isn’t allowed to name, called the test off after he’d broken into the first four branches. “After the fourth one they said, ‘Stop now please. We give up.’”
Built by a startup company called Pwnie Express, the Pwn Plug is pretty much the last thing you ever want to find on your network — unless you’ve hired somebody to put it there. It’s a tiny computer that comes preloaded with an arsenal of hacking tools. It can be quickly plugged into any computer network and then used to access it remotely from afar. And it comes with “stealthy decal stickers” — including a little green flowerbud with the word “fresh” underneath it, that makes the device look like an air freshener — so that people won’t get suspicious.
The basic model costs $480, but if you’re willing to pay an extra $250 for the Elite version, you can connect it over the mobile wireless network. “The whole point is plug and pwn,” says Dave Porcello, Pwnie Express’s CEO. “Walk into a facility, plug it in, wait for the text message. Before you even get to the parking lot you should know it’s working.”
Research Credit JS
Wealthy British Banker and His Wife Killed by Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
March 3rd, 2012Via: Daily Mail:
A wealthy British banker and his wife have died from carbon monoxide poisoning at their holiday home in Estonia.
The bodies of Philip Townsend and his wife MaryAnne were discovered February 24 and local police say they are treating the deaths as an accident.
Mr Townsend, 56, and his wife – the couple have two children a girl, 17 and 17-year-old son both at boarding schools – moved into the Grade Two listed Wood Dalling Hall near Reepham, Norfolk in 1989.
It is understood that Mr Townsend, the son of a Royal Naval commander, worked in the City but specialised in arranging deals with Russia and the Baltic states.
