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Category Archives: NSA

Podcast: When U.S. Companies Help the NSA

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A year and a half into the release of classified documents by Edward Snowden, the existence of far-reaching National Security Agency surveillance is common if controversial knowledge.

But until The Intercept published new documents this month, the role of American companies in that surveillance was less than clear, ProPublicas Julia Angwin and Jeff Larson tell Editor-in-Chief Steve Engelberg in this weeks podcast.

The new documents describe "contractual relationships" between the NSA and unnamed U.S. companies and reveal that the NSA has "under cover" spies working at or with some of them. And indeed, it would be difficult for the NSA to do its work without their help, Larson says.

The important thing about todays communications infrastructure is that it doesnt respect country borders, he says, Youre no longer looking at Soviet signals in Russia youre trying to cast a wide net and collect information thats traveling maybe through the United States while it goes from, say, London to China.

The cooperating companies in question, though unnamed in the new documents, are almost certainly telecommunications companies that lay the fiber for data communications, Angwin says, as they are really the first point of attack for anyone whos trying to do surveillance, whether theyre a criminal, or the NSA.

Aside from privacy concerns, Angwin also notes theres the simple question of cost surveillance has quadrupled to $80 billion since 9/11 vs. benefit. Were, you know, a year and a half into the Snowden leaks, she says, and the NSA has yet to provide clear evidence that any of the surveillance has worked to prevent an attack, right?

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Podcast: When U.S. Companies Help the NSA

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NSA CTO Patrick Dowd Moonlighting For Private Security Firm

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First time accepted submitter un1nsp1red (2503532) writes Current NSA CTO Patrick Dowd has taken a part-time position with former-NSA director Keith Alexander's security firm IronNet Cybersecurity while retaining his position as chief technology officer for the NSA. The Guardian states that 'Patrick Dowd continues to work as a senior NSA official while also working part time for Alexander's IronNet Cybersecurity, a firm reported to charge up to $1m a month for advising banks on protecting their data from hackers. It is exceedingly rare for a US official to be allowed to work for a private, for-profit company in a field intimately related to his or her public function.' Some may give Alexander a pass on the possible conflict of interests as he's now retired, but what about a current NSA official moonlighting for a private security firm?

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NSA CTO Patrick Dowd Moonlighting For Private Security Firm

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EdwardSnowden Citizenfour lie warcrime ICC corruption Wikileaks Obama Putin China NSA BradleyManning – Video

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EdwardSnowden Citizenfour lie warcrime ICC corruption Wikileaks Obama Putin China NSA BradleyManning
EdwardSnowden, I am going to put you in ICC-prison for warcrimes. You have your happy lifestyle in Moscow thanks to me. I made Putin accept you, while you we...

By: desiree stokkel

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EdwardSnowden Citizenfour lie warcrime ICC corruption Wikileaks Obama Putin China NSA BradleyManning - Video

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This agency is more secretive than NSA, CIA, FBI altogether. – Video

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This agency is more secretive than NSA, CIA, FBI altogether.
One of the most prominent US spy agencies is probably one you #39;ve never heard of...The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. "In the Now" with RT #39;s Senior Political correspondent Anissa...

By: IN THE NOW

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This agency is more secretive than NSA, CIA, FBI altogether. - Video

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NSA Grooming Cyber Talent through Academics

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The recent data breach outbreak in the retail and financial sectors drives home the fact the United States faces a massive cybersecurity conundrum but this should not come as a surprise to anyone.

While the issue of keeping cyber criminals at bay is a monumental task all on its own, there is another perhaps more vexing cyber-related concern plaguing the nation: Both industry and government are struggling to find enough bodies to deal with the digital pandemic.

A report from Cisco (CSCO) found demand for cybersecurity experts has grown at three and a half times the pace of the overall I.T. job market, with an estimated 1 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs across the globe in 2014.

At the heart of the matter is a lack of younger Americans in the cybersecurity talent pool.

In its recent survey on millennials and cybersecurity, Raytheon (RTN) and the National Cyber Security Alliance found nearly two-thirds of millennial respondents are not sure what the cybersecurity profession is. Additionally, in that same study, only 26% strongly agree their high school education prepared them to use technology safely, securely, ethically and productively in the workplace.

The National Security Agency is looking to change that.

In an effort to groom talent and stress the importance of cybersecurity education, the agency introduced its National Centers for Academic Excellence, Cyber Operations Program in 2012. That program has since expanded to include a total of 13 undergraduate and graduate programs in the United States with the U.S. Military Academy, New York University, the University of New Orleans, Towson University, and the University of Cincinnati being added to the list in 2014.

The agency is trying to increase the future pipeline of cyber professionals of the nation -- not just for NSA, but for academia, industry and the rest of government, Steven LaFountain, Dean of NSAs College of Cyber, said in an interview with Firewall. We're doing that by trying to influence the security curriculum that's being taught at the university level.

In doing so, the agency has mapped out specific standards that colleges and universities must fulfill in order to gain designation as a Cyber Operations Center of Academic Excellence.

NSA benefits by utilizing the program to identify top talent for its ranks, and students benefit by becoming more attractive to prospective employers once they enter the job market.

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NSA Grooming Cyber Talent through Academics

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