Tag Archives: espionage

Obama’s new cyber-security tactics finger corrupt staff, China • The Register

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Obama’s new cyber-security tactics finger corrupt staff, China Hackers or the guy with root?

Trouble is closer to home, warns White House

By John Leyden

The White House has unveiled a fresh strategy for combating the theft of American trade secrets – days after a high-profile Chinese cyber-espionage campaign against US corporate giants was exposed. The strategy, outlined in a 141-page report [PDF] published on Wednesday, focuses on a five-part plan featuring diplomatic efforts, cooperation with private industry to bolster information security, legislation, law enforcement operations and public education campaigns.

The US Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State and Treasury; the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and the Office of the United States Trade Representative were all involved in drawing up the strategy, and will all be involved in aspects of putting it into play. The US government report, which cites numerous examples of Chinese espionage and a lesser number of attacks traced to Russia and the countries, makes a fascinating read.

More via http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/21/us_revamped_cyber_strategy/

Former CIA spy’s son pleads guilty to conspiracy in favour of Russia

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Nathaniel Nicholson, the son of CIA double agent Harold James “Jim” Nicholson who received a 23-year sentence in 1997 to spying for Russia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Portland, Oregon, to charges of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy to commit money laundering, US media are reporting.

Nathaniel Nicholson acknowledged his role in the ongoing conspiracy with his father to collect money from the Russian federation for his father’s past espionage activity, acting US Attorney Kent S. Robinson told the CNN. He worked with his father, the highest-ranking CIA officer ever convicted of espionage, and Russian officials on spy operations, authorities said.

In exchange for leniency up to a sentence of probation, the son has greed to testify against his father if there is a trial, Wired.com marks. Nathaniel Nicholson will face more than 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in January. The father, nicknamed Batman, is already serving 23 years after pleading guilty more than a decade ago to furnishing the Russians “documents, photographic negatives and information relating to the national defense of the United States, with the intent and reason to believe that the same would be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of the Russian Federation,” according to an FBI affidavit, Wired.com adds.

via Eurasian Secret Services Daily Report.

White House Intel Advisory Board Has No Members

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President Obama has still not appointed anyone to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), Secrecy News has learned.

The PIAB has broad responsibility for conducting internal executive branch oversight of intelligence, and it is specifically charged with alerting the President to intelligence activities that may be unlawful or contrary to executive order or presidential directive. Although the PIAB rarely releases its findings to the public, it is positioned to play a potentially important role in the intelligence oversight process. Its actual performance seems to depend on the qualifications of Board members, which have sometimes been minimal, as well as the receptivity of an Administration to the oversight process.

Without any members, the PIAB is “kind of running on autopilot,” said Homer Pointer, counsel to the Board. But he added that “day to day intelligence oversight marches on,” particularly since the Director of National Intelligence and relevant department heads are required by executive order to report to the Board on a regular basis.

The Boston Globe reported last year that President Bush had “stripped the Board of much of its authority” (“President weakens espionage oversight” by Charlie Savage, March 14, 2008) but Mr. Pointer disputed that assessment.

News reports in January 2009 indicated that President-elect Obama had asked former DNI J. Michael McConnell to serve on the PIAB. But for whatever reason, a formal appointment of Mr. McConnell has not yet been made, Mr. Pointer said, nor have any other members of the Board been designated.

“We are hopeful that a new Board will be named soon,” Mr. Pointer said.

via Secrecy News.

UK Snubs Support For Home of WWII Enigma

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The UK government has pushed back on requests that a historic site used by Britain’s top code-breakers during World War II should be elevated to the same status as the Imperial War Museum.

Responding to a question from Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall, whose parents met while stationed at the Bletchley Park site during the war, the deputy chief whip of the House of Lords, Lord Davies of Oldham said that while the government was keen to support the site, there would be no moves to link the site to the Imperial War Museum.

“We have no plans at present to associate it with the Imperial War Museum,” Lord Davies said. “The House is all too well aware of the significance of designating any area in association with a museum of that rank, but I want to give an assurance that Bletchley Park will continue to develop under the resources made available to it.”

Bletchley Park, home to UK code-breakers such as Alan Turing is being preserved as a museum, but has been facing a funding crises of late. It was recently awarded around £600,000 by Milton Keynes Council and English Heritage, as well as a further £100,000 by IBM and PGP.

The issue of whether the Bletchley site should receive the same status as the Imperial War museum was raised by Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, who also admitted to an interest in this site.

“My Lords, I declare an indirect interest in that my father was a beneficiary of the Ultra intelligence derived from the work done by the noble Baroness, Lady Trumpington, and others,” the Viscount said. “To go a bit further than what other noble Lords have proposed, does the noble Lord not think that Bletchley Park should be turned into a full-scale national museum on the same terms as the Imperial War Museum or many of our other national museums?”

via eWeekEurope.co.uk.

Chinese spy who defected tells all

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A veteran Chinese intelligence officer who defected to the United States says that his country’s civilian spy service spends most of its time trying to steal secrets overseas but also works to bolster Beijing’s Communist Party rule by repressing religious and political dissent internally.

“In some sense you can say that intelligence work between two countries is just like war but without the fire,” Li Fengzhi told The Washington Times in an interview aided by an interpreter.

Mr. Li worked for years as an Ministry of State Security intelligence officer inside China before defecting to the United States, where is he awaiting a response to his request for political asylum. He gave a rare, detailed interview to The Times on Sunday regarding the activities of the MSS, China’s Communist-controlled civilian spy agency.

His prior work as a Chinese spy was confirmed to The Times by a Western government source familiar with his defection. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Mr. Li’s case.

via Washington Times