Techno Stuff

Lessons for U.S. Intel From Today's Battlefields

From Georgetown Univ National Security Archives.

http://www.nsarchive.org

Washington, D.C., February 13, 2012 – Spendthrift, schizophrenic policies and a massive, multi-tiered bureaucracy more focused on preserving secrets than on mission accomplishment leave our intelligence operatives drowning in raw data, resource-starved, and choked on paperwork, according to a new book, Intel Wars: The Secret History of the Fight Against Terror (Bloomsbury Press, 2012), by intelligence historian Matthew Aid. Excerpts from the book and declassified documents cited in it were posted today by the National Security Archive, where Aid is a Visiting Fellow.

Even after the celebrated raid by U.S. Navy SEAL commandos in May 2011, which killed al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, America's spies are still struggling to beat a host of ragtag enemies around the world, Aid argues.

Thanks to more than $500 billion in taxpayer dollars spent on revamping and modernizing America's spy networks since 9/11, the U.S. today has the largest and most technologically sophisticated intelligence community in the world, consisting of 210,000 employees, CIA stations in 170 countries, and an annual budget of more than $75 billion. Armed with cutting-edge surveillance gear, high-tech weapons, and fleets of armed and unarmed drone aircraft, the U.S. intelligence community is now producing more and better intelligence than at any time in its history.

But, according to Aid, overlapping jurisdictions and bureaucratic inertia often stall intelligence operations, such as U.S. military operators in Afghanistan who have to wait seventy-two hours for clearance to attack fast-moving Taliban IED teams planting explosive devices. U.S. military computers – their classified hard drives still in place – turn up for sale at Afghan bazaars. When you dig beneath the surface, swift, tightly focused intelligence-driven operations like the Osama bin Laden raid seem to be the exception rather than the rule, Aid concludes.

Intel Wars – based on extensive, on-the-ground interviews, dozens of declassified documents, and revelations from Wikileaks cables – shows how our soldier-spies are still fighting to catch up with the enemy.

Today's posting of 12 documents consists of a selection of reports and memoranda cited in Intel Wars concerning the role played by the U.S. intelligence community in today's military conflicts and crises, particularly in Afghanistan.

Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive website - http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB370/index.htm

Intel Wars author Matthew Aid will be appearing tonight, February 13, 7pm at Politics and Prose

5015 Connecticut Ave NW

Washington, District Of Columbia

20008

United States

Find us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/NSArchive

Unredacted, the Archive blog - http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/

Private Cloud with Microsoft technologies

From Deb Shinder’s  2 Feb 2012 WinNews News Letter.  Captured so I would not lose it the link

For the IT pros in the crowd (and I know from my email there are lots of you out there), we know many of your companies are considering "easing" into the cloud while retaining more control over your data and applications than you would have with a public cloud service. The way to do that is to build a private cloud - which differs from a traditional datacenter in many ways. But security is always a big concern when it comes to any kind of cloud technology. Microsoft's TechNet Wiki recently published a comprehensive Solution for Private Cloud Security, which happens to have been written by my husband, Tom Shinder. Give it a look if your business is even thinking about going to the private cloud.

Technorati Tags: Cloud Computing,Private Cloud,Private Cloud Microsoft

One Geezer’s Tips for Windows 7 Desktops

Why I’m doing this?

I am that guy who is viewed (often falsely) as wire head by my senior citizen friends, acquaintances and occasional passer by.  I find that I am repeating myself so I am going to try to put some of tips here.  At least I can use them even if nobody else does. 

The situation I most often encounter is that tech savvy offspring or Generation X colleagues present you with, or lead you into, the digital world by giving you new laptop, smartphone or tablet.  Or you began feeling left behind and voluntarily took over a hand-me-down or consulted with that nice sales person at Best Buy and wound up with one of these monsters. 

I will try to answer some of those dumb question that you are afraid to ask your pre-teen grandchildren and give some tips on where you can secretly go off and do your own research.

This post will be focused on the Windows operating system which means this will be no help for you Mac owners so you can all leave now.

Frustration 1 “How the  *#)!#$%*)$ can’t I do what I want to?”

I’m sorry but this can only be overcome by time and experience.  In the early days, weeks, months and years of owning and using your device there is no replacement for looking at the tutorials or or reading the instruction.  Of course there is the issue of finding them.  Make use of Help, and the how to books. I like Software for Seniors by the irrepressible  [something for …] folks who put out all those yellow covered books.

Tip:  First Use Help!

For Windows 7 go click on the start button and enter Help in the search window.  In the early days of owning your device you should visit often and run the “Getting started with Windows 7” link.  On that page rerunning the last four bullets (starting with “Take a tour”) of the Get to Know Windows 7 will be particularly helpful in ingraining how the windows desktop works.  As you become more familiar with the items covered their utility will become more apparent.  But I strongly recommend coming back to them again and again.

Tip: Manage Your Desktop Windows.

Every vendor who get’s a product on your device wants to grab and own all of your resources.  The most frustrating for beginning users are those windows that cover your entire screen real estate.  Again go to Help “Learn about Windows Basics” Desktop Fundamentals “Working with windows”.  This is another one of those that you should revisit often until it working with desktop windows becomes second nature. 

Excel Tips & Traps -

From 3 October TechRepublic news letter. For the Excel users like me who are at best apprentices or maybe Novices

“10 ways to keep Excel from biting you in the butt

Takeaway: Little decisions you make when you first build a worksheet can lead to big problems down the road. Here are some things to watch out for.”

Don’t forget to take a look at the comments.

While the audience for this Blog are professional developers, it is helpful for those like me who use Excel spreadsheets for our own purposes

Stored here so I can find it later.

Technorati Tags: Excel Gotchas,Excel Tips,Excel

Basic Info for Novice Internet User.

I extracted this from the Vipre Security News letter of 2 Sept 2011. It is here as quick reference for those who have learned to drive their internet browsers without benefit of a web driving school, or Internet browser instructor.

What are HTML, HTTP and HTTPS?

I know this may be redundant for some of you but I know many of our readers are novice users so we are providing this simple guide to how web connections work.

First of all let's talk about HTML or Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is the publishing language of the World Wide Web, containing the basic building-blocks of webpages. HTML determines how Web pages are formatted and displayed. Web designers create their pages in it.

When you click on a link, through the magic of modern technology you are instantly (or somewhat instantly, depending on your Internet connection) to another domain. You will note when you write out a web address it starts with

HTTP://www.yourfriend.com. This is a Hyperlink and it enables you to move around the web.

 
You move around the Net based on what is called Hyper Text Transfer Protocol or HTTP. Just so you know, a communications protocol is a system of digital messaging between systems. HTTP is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to get and transmit the requested Web page.

 
So the web designer creates a page and on it he places a hyperlink and when you click on it takes you to another page. Or you simply type the URL (Universal Resource Locator AKA the web address) of the site you want to visit and voila you are mystically if not cyberly transported.

 
Now if you were to add an S to the HTTP it would mean it is a secure location. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS combines Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) with SSL/TLS protocol to provide encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server. HTTPS connections are often used for payment transactions on the World Wide Web and for other sensitive interactions.

 
So now you know how the web works. Just be careful where you click.

Technorati Tags: Internet Browser,Beginning Users,Novice Web User,URL,HTTP,HTTPS

CNET Hacker Chart

For a snapshot in time here is the CNet Hacker Chart from a link provided by Win7News on 1 Sept 2011. 

Of interest to those who have an interest in, but are not IT security practitioners. 

A point of departure for further research or discussions on the Hacker threat. 

You can spend some time here.  CNET Hacker Chart

Technorati Tags: CNET Hacker Chart,Hacker Attacks,Cyber Attack

Deciphering Stuxnet

The 11 July 2011 issue of the online edition of Wired has , an 8 page post describing how the Stuxnet Malware was deciphered in it’s “Threat Level” section. A highly recommended read. 

While it is written for a techie audience, I believe non-wireheads will enjoy it. Many comments observed that the writing compared favorably with a Tom Clancy novel. 

I was totally captured by the story, but be warned it is a long read. 

Update 9 Aug 2011:

A Der Spiegel Online International story on the same subject is not as long as the Wired story.  As result the extensive details are not covered here. In typical Spiegel fashion it a bit more positive in it’s conclusions; and gives the credit / blame entirely to Israel with only minimal US help.   Spiegel focus on the geopolitical aspects of the deployment of Stuxnet and not on the technical challenges so well covered in the Wired story.  Where Wired was for the cyber Nerds this story is for the foreign policy Wonks.  

 

Technorati Tags: Stuxnet,Stuxnet Virus,Virus Decode

del.icio.us Tags: Cyber War,Cyber Warfare,Stuxnet Virus,Cyber Conflict

DoD Cyber Strategy Website

FYI – From OSD ATL E-Mail Alert on the creation of a website to provide official DoD public information cyber “stuff”

Defense.gov/cyber http://www.defense.gov/cyber , which aims to be a repository for current cyber accomplishments and the new way forward, went live yesterday. The website also includes links to cybersecurity jobs in government, news releases and cyber videos.

This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here <http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=158&tt=Cybersecurity&tag_ids%5b%5d%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20=1577&tag_ids%5b%5d%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20=56&tag_ids%5b%5d%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20=9801> .

DoD ATL Tags: Tags: cybersecurity <http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=115&tag=cybersecurity> Cybersecurity Update <http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=115&tag=cybersecurity+update> DoD <http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=115&tag=dod>

Slow Firefox 5.0 – One Solution

As a lot of people have discovered the June release of Firefox 5.0 can be extremely slow starting and downloading web pages.  What has returned my performance back to something near (80%) of what I expected was to disable all old Java Console that were showing up in my Add-ons Manager

My Add-ons Manager displayed multiple  Java Consoles in both Win 7 (14 consoles) and XP SR3 (20 consoles).  However the impact of disabling the consoles have yet to be fully accessed.   I’m still having default formats returned from some web pages. 

I used the Add-on Compatibility Reporter to discover that all my Java Consoles add-ons were not compatible with Firefox 5.0.

Technorati Tags: Firefox 5.0,Mozilla,Firefox 5.0 Performance,Firefox Performance,Firefox 5.0 Slow Opening,Firefox and Java

Some Help With Tablet Compares

Tech Republic’s 30 June issue had a story by Patrick Gray about comparing some tablets from a User (vice marketing brochure) point of view. Executive Guide to Tablets.   Gray has experience with the existing Microsoft Tablet so his views lean towards the “practical” end of the scale.  Gray purchased and used an IPad2 and a Asus Transformer to represent the Android based selections.  He also has some observations/hopes/wishes on the RIM Playbook, the next Windows tablet OS, the newly released HP and the possibilities from Google. 

Not to keep you ins suspense he settled on the IPad2.

I thought this was helpful.

Note: In the same Tech Republic news leter there is a review of the HP TouchPad.

Technorati Tags: Tablets,Compare Tablets,IPad 2,Asus Transformer,Microsoft Tablet,Android Tablets,HP Tablets