11 Society – Page 136 – Public Intelligence Blog

2013/12/222013/12/22

Mini-Me: NSA-RSA Debacle Gets Worse

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, IO Deeds of War, IO Impotency, Military, Officers Call

Huh?

Researchers Break RSA 4096 Encryption With Just A Microphone And A Couple Of Emails

As if it wasn’t enough that the NSA paid RSA $10 million to adopt an algorithm that wasn’t entirely secure, researchers have now demonstrated that they can break even RSA 4096 bit encryption with little more than a few emails and a microphone. And that microphone can indeed just be one in a smartphone sitting on the desk.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered that they could steal even the largest, most secure RSA 4,096-bit encryption keys simply by listening to a laptop as it decrypts data.

To accomplish the trick, the researchers used a microphone to record the noises made by the computer, then ran that audio through filters to isolate the vibrations made by the electronic internals during the decryption process. With that accomplished, some cryptanalysis revealed the encryption key in around an hour.

Well, no, pace Engadget it is a little more complex than that. You can’t just listen to a computer and break the algos just like that.

Read full article with how they did it.

Full paper.

Continue reading “Mini-Me: NSA-RSA Debacle Gets Worse”

2013/12/212013/12/21

Penguin: NSA Paid RSA for an Embedded Back Door Into Products Sold — Time to Indict Hayden & Alexander — and File RICO Charges Against RSA

03 Economy, 10 Security, 11 Society, Commerce, Ethics, Government, IO Impotency, IO Privacy, Military, Officers Call

Can you spell treason? How about racketeering? This would seem to call for the indictment, conviction, and loss of pensions for the top NSA deciders, and enough RICO lawsuits to put RSA out of business. Shame!

Exclusive: Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer

EXTRACT:

Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that the NSA created and promulgated a flawed formula for generating random numbers to create a “back door” in encryption products, the New York Times reported in September. Reuters later reported that RSA became the most important distributor of that formula by rolling it into a software tool called Bsafe that is used to enhance security in personal computers and many other products.

Read full article.

Continue reading “Penguin: NSA Paid RSA for an Embedded Back Door Into Products Sold — Time to Indict Hayden & Alexander — and File RICO Charges Against RSA”

2013/12/192013/12/19

John Steiner: Third Party of Principle Against Corruption Winning in India – Implications for USA?

09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Government

Thanks for sending the NYT article John. I am lucky to have arrived here in India just as the rolling series of local elections took place – and based on the NYT article, it is worth mentioning this to you.

All of India is electrified by the impressive win in the state of Delhi of the AAP, the anti-corruption party. I have been surprised reading the newspapers that what everyone is excited about is that a third party founded on principle could win anything. (Local elections are sometimes won by 3rd parties if they are ethnically/religiously oriented, in the areas where these groups are majorities).

"As long as we don't piss off all of the people all of the time, we can keep living large." — “As long as we don't piss off all of the people all of the time, we can keep living large.”

Like the US, the assumption has been that India will never go for a third party, this despite it being a parliamentary system. How this plays out in terms of governing remains to be seen, BUT the AAP won on its stand and promise to fight corruption, attracting both the middle class (which usually supports the liberal Congress Party) and the poor (who tend to support the conservative BJP). Both parties are widely seen as hopelessly corrupt.

Maybe there is a lesson here for a smaller democracy, ours (India has 1.2 billion people, and 750 million registered voters!) As the NYT article showed, people don't see themselves as Centrists, and are divided on so many issues. But we are surely sick of the US style corruption, which is in the popular mind focused on weal financial regulations.

Hope all is well and holiday cheer to you and Margo,

Evelyn

Continue reading “John Steiner: Third Party of Principle Against Corruption Winning in India – Implications for USA?”

2013/12/19

SchwartzReport: Truths That Matter

03 Economy, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, IO Impotency

I am not an Obama fan, as anyone who reads SR regularly knows. I find the disconnect between the soaring language in his speeches and the reality of how his Executive Branch operates — an issue distinct from the problems of his having to deal with a corrupt Theocratic Rightist House — very alarming. Two of the most disturbing aspects are the rise of the Orwelli! an surveillance under Obama's Administration, and, concurrently, the suppression of freedom of the press. A democracy without a free aggressive press very quickly ceases to be a democracy. History is quite clear on this. Here is an excellent essay on the relevant issues. This special report originally appeared on the Committee to Protect Journalists website, and is reprinted here with their permission.

“This is the Most Closed, Control Freak Administration I've Ever Cover”
LEONARD DOWNIE and SARA RAFSKY – AlterNet (U.S.)

EXTRACT:

This report will examine all these issues: legal policies of the Obama administration that disrupt relationships between journalists and government sources; the surveillance programs that cast doubt on journalists’ ability to protect those sources; restrictive practices for disclosing information that make it more difficult to hold the government accountable for its actions and decision-making; and manipulative use of administration-controlled media to circumvent scrutiny by the press.

Read full article (ten screens).

2013/12/172013/12/17

Tikkun Rabbi Michael Lerner: War on Poverty Round Two — Theater, But Worth Noting… + Poverty RECAP

01 Poverty, 11 Society, Corruption, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude

Great news!

Congessman Keith Ellison, who represents Minneapolis/St Paul in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced a resolution in effect endorsing the NSP version of a Global Marshall Plan into the House of Representatives as H Res 439. It was referred to the Republican controlled Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. Please read the resolution below and send thanks to his legislative aide Vic Edgerton (contact information at end of post).

Continue reading “Tikkun Rabbi Michael Lerner: War on Poverty Round Two — Theater, But Worth Noting… + Poverty RECAP”

2013/12/132013/12/13

Evan Ellis: China in Venezuelan Oil

02 China, 03 India, 05 Energy, 06 Russia, 07 Venezuela, 10 Security, 11 Society

In the aftermath of elections in Venezuela, I am writing to share with you my new publication “China, Russia, India and the Venezuelan Petroleum Industry,” just published by Latin Business Chronicle.

PDF (5 Pages): CN RU IN & VE Oil

Given the amount of confusion that has existed about the role of external actors in Venezuela, the article seeks to present the key facts and data regarding Chinese loans, oil investment and other support to the Venezuelan petroleum sector, in the context of Indian and Russian activities in the sector as well. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to a number of experts in the Venezuelan petroleum, financial, and other sectors who shared their knowledge and dedicated the time so that I could get the story right.

Dr. Evan Ellis is a professor of national security studies, modeling, gaming and simulation with the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University, with a research focus on Latin America's relationships with external actors, including China, Russia and Iran, as well as work on populism in the Andes, transnational criminal organizations and gangs in Mexico and Central America, energy security, and non-traditional national security topics. Dr. Ellis has published over 50 works, including the 2009 book China in Latin America: The Whats and Wherefores, as well as articles in national security, finance, and technical journals.

2013/12/11

Jon Rappoport: What Happened to $2.5 Trillion Allegedly Spent Against Poverty? Is Government a Giant Money-Laundering Scheme?

01 Poverty, 03 Economy, 06 Family, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Corruption, Government

Is government aid a giant money laundering scheme?

Remember something called the War on Poverty? The Great Society?

President Lyndon Johnson declared it and announced it in 1965. Since then, the federal government and state governments have poured staggering amounts of dollars into the program.

How many dollars? Does anyone know?

In his 1992 book, Paved With Good Intentions, Jared Taylor puts the figure (1965-1992) at $2.5 trillion. So, for the sake of argument, let’s accept that.

Yet, by 1992 (and to an even greater degree since then), poverty had accelerated in America. Had gotten much, much worse.

So the logical question was and is: where did all that money go?

Continue reading “Jon Rappoport: What Happened to $2.5 Trillion Allegedly Spent Against Poverty? Is Government a Giant Money-Laundering Scheme?”