New York Times and Twitter Attacked By Syrian Electronic Army 169
cold fjord writes with news that the NY Times website was disrupted by hackers Tuesday afternoon. "In an interview, Mr. Frons said the attack was carried out by a group known as 'the Syrian Electronic Army, or someone trying very hard to be them.' The group attacked the company’s domain name registrar, Melbourne IT. The Web site first went down after 3 p.m.; once service was restored, the hackers quickly disrupted the site again." The Times wasn't the only site to be attacked: "Earlier today, a Twitter account allegedly belonging to the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-Syrian-regime hacker collective, claimed to have taken over The New York Times website, Huffington Post UK's website and Twitter.com, by hacking into each of the site's registry accounts." The group was definitely able to change contact info for Twitter's domain. The Wall Street Journal notes that this is the same group that targeted media organizations a few months back. "When the SEA hacked the Twitter account of the Associated Press earlier this year, it posted a false headline to the account that said the White House had been attacked. The hoax caused U.S. stock markets to briefly lose $200 billion in value."
NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:5, Insightful)
and nothing of value was lost...
Seriously, there's something I've never understood about electronic "warfare": unless you attack real targets and do something useful, such as penetrating your enemy's command network to steal plans or cryptographic keys or something, what's the point?
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:5, Insightful)
It's psychological warfare, a variation of propaganda.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare [wikipedia.org]
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It's psychological warfare, a variation of propaganda.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare [wikipedia.org]
So... then this is probably someone from Assad's regime trying to make the Syrian rebels look like as much of a random force of brute pointless chaos as Anonymous?
If this was the rebels, they need to hire a new PR agency.
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:5, Interesting)
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Floods from the SEA does rather sound like Americanized humour.
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:5, Funny)
The SEA are funded by Israel and the US.
And Israel is funded by the Illuminati!
Who are funded by the Underpants Gnomes!
Who don't need to be funded by anybody because
...
Profit!
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:4, Funny)
Drat. How due you realise this?
We kept this perfectly secret apart from the clues we inexplicably planted in Denver Airport and the symbols we in included on banknotes.
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Actually Israel appears to be funded by the US (taxpayer).
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Then this attack had exactly the wrong effect. Shutting off Twitter and the New York Times is going to put me in a better mood, and make me want the conflict to escalate into them attacking Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.
Have yourself a good time, Syrian Electronic Army! Take out the Internet's trash and do the rest of us a big favor.
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No worries. They haven't gotten Slashdot.
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Look at other poster replies. We can't be sure on who the hackers work for. It could be "black propaganda".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_propaganda [wikipedia.org]
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:5, Insightful)
and nothing of value was lost...
You missed the part about making stock markets drop. Frankly, I think they most likely did it for the LULZ; but if you recall, there was an investigation into short-selling of reinsurance companies before 9/11. I don't know what actually came of that investigation. The Bin Laden family is probably more sophisticated than these SEA guys, but we shouldn't underestimate them. Once you figure out how to move markets with disinformation, you can plow more R&D back into moving markets, as well as funding actual acts of terror which also move markets... and... well, it's exponential until it hits some kind of natural hard limit. They can't drive the S&P to zero, but they don't have to in order to make a *lot* of money.
We're being played by somebody, somewhere. Our fucking brilliant leaders won't figure it out until they've lost lives as well as $billions.
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Maybe we shouldn't let those those people rule our world until they grow up and stop being such nervous nellies then.
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:4, Insightful)
Obligatory XKCD [xkcd.com]...
Re:NYT and Twitter attacked (Score:5, Insightful)
unless you attack real targets and do something useful, such as penetrating your enemy's command network to steal plans or cryptographic keys or something, what's the point?
Exactly, just like terrorists. They should target army bases and stuff, right? What's the point of bombing, for example, marathon run audiences? Surely nobody is going to react to that...or will they?
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An actual country who has hired cyber-mercenaries on the other hand, it makes no sense. Unless you're suggesting Syria is doing this for attention?
Now, if the "syrian electronic army" actually has nothing to do with Syria, then that's a reasonable explanation, but without something suggesting it's just a bunch of domestic suburban juveniles, I'm not sure it holds much
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Actually, what *IS* the point, except to get attention?
I guess it's just like with many other kinds of asymmetric warfare: if it's cheap for you but expensive for the defender, you win.
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Syrian Electronic Army.. (Score:4, Funny)
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Actually, my guess is that it is a spoof on the Symbionese Liberation Army, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbionese_Liberation_Army [wikipedia.org] , of "Bag-a-Patty-Hearst" infamy.
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No, I'm in my mid-twenties; just of an historical bent. I was diagnosed with hipsterism as a child, but a shallow appreciation for the obscure and bygone was too mainstream. It's very satisfying to criticize other young people for getting their history wrong.
...that being said, it's a great way to burn bridges, so I don't actually recommend it.
Re:ELO (Score:5, Funny)
My site is running, serving The New York Times...
You've got me thinking SEA's a waste of my time...
Don't bring me down... no no no no no
I'll tell you once more before I email Melbourne
Don't bring me down...
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Awesome.
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What is your favorite superhero? (Score:1)
Whats your favorite color?
Security questions are such a fucking joke.
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Agreed. They all seem to want you to put in information that anyone could find by browsing your Facebook profile (assuming you have one, natch). It's better to answer them with random words (in case you have to answer them to a live rep) and use a password manager to keep track of them.
Another option is to perform a simple substitution. Instead of answering "What was the name of your first pet?" correctly, put down your mother's maiden name. Your pet's real name will go under, say, a question asking where y
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Agreed. That's why I use a password manager to keep track of it.
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What is your favorite superhero?
Sounds like an occasion for a good Iron Man vs. Batman religious debate: Two billionerd techno-vigilantes, one with the cocky attitude of a cat that just got a jar of cream, the other with the surly attitude of a cat that just got a jar of cream stuffed up its ass.
Who's your favorite? Who would win a match?
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What is the average airspeed of a swallow?
This security type was already broken in Monty Python's Holy Grail.
Suspiciously well timed... (Score:5, Insightful)
indeed (Score:1)
we must consider the false flag gambit
but there's also the false false flag angle
finally, there is the distinct possibility we could be dealing with a false false false flag attack!
(twiddles fingers, eyes darting)
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I think your tin foil hat might be on a little too tight today.
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Now the cyber security industry wanting more money to be thrown their way, that sounds a lot more likely.
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Re:Suspiciously well timed... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Or maybe it is the russians looking for a good old proxy war with the US...
You really, honestly think that this would happen without an agreement? We have more to lose in any conflict with them, but they stand higher chances of losing, because they're already broke.
Re:Suspiciously well timed... (Score:5, Insightful)
It was on the front page of Fox News, so Joe Six-Pack likely noticed.
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Joe Six-Pack
Funny the two completely opposite and conflicting images that brought to mind when I read it.
Re:Suspiciously well timed... (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't doubt the us gov is capable of false flag. But if they were to make a false flag attempt, why something so lame?
So Twitter was rated #1 by the EFF on resisting government warrant(less) data grabs and the NYT has recently started tipping over to the side of working with Snowden and Greenwald.
Other than that, I can't see any motivation to pick those two high-profile American targets.
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Other than that, I can't see any motivation to pick those two high-profile American targets.
If it is in fact Syrians, I don't know what they expect to accomplish for their cause.
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The NYT also published an Op-Ed today entitled Bomb Syria, Even if It Is Illegal [nytimes.com]. I think it's quite easy to imagine some nationalist Syrian hackers targeting the site. That seems far more likely than some dark government conspiracy. Many major international players are already signalling support for the US bombing Syria. Why would Obama fake a minor hack against some newspaper? What would he have to gain? The downside if caught seems much, much greater than the tiny potential upside.
Bad Move (Score:2)
The same Gray Lady that jingoistically trumpeted for war against Iraq.
I wouldn't trust anyone at the NYT farther than I could throw them.
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What you talking about AC? My retirement account lost money because of their actions, and it's been made clear on here that it will be made certain that none of us older age types can feel depend on social securityc! I say bomb them back to the stoneage!!
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Either way, you're a sick human being if you think innocent people should die because "your retirement account lost money" due to their supposed actions.
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Because the Government is the only organization besides the New York Times that seems to care about the New York Times. Oh, and Twitter isn't exactly hard to hit - they do it to themselves enough.
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the goal is iran.. it always has been... the syrian thing has been ongoing for a few years.. it takes a lot of money for food, logistics etc, and weapons to humans fighting a provisioned government.. saudi/us supported insurgency in the first place..
since its hard to get world support for an iranian attack, it might be easier to do it using syria, iran's major ally in the region.. if they somehow lure iran in on it.
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what interest does the US possibly have to start a war in Syria???
None whatsoever.
Unless they want to inflict some collateral damage to keep people joining terrorist organizations.
Let's sit this one out and let someone else put their foot in it.
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The whole thing is fishy - why is it okay that the U.S. is supporting the jihadists in Syria anyways?
I know you've been taught that 'jihadist' means 'anti-American terrorist,' but it's really not true. Give up the conditioning. A jihadist can be good, or bad, or even non-violent.
I'm not saying we should invade Syria, just that a jihadist isn't what you think it is.
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The whole thing is fishy - why is it okay that the U.S. is supporting the jihadists in Syria anyways?
I know you've been taught that 'jihadist' means 'anti-American terrorist,' but it's really not true. Give up the conditioning. A jihadist can be good, or bad, or even non-violent.
I'm not saying we should invade Syria, just that a jihadist isn't what you think it is.
I don't think any of the terrorist organizations are jihadist. They appear to be people who are outraged at some real or perceived wrong, and have convinced themselves that killing innocent people is proper redress.
Just like Timothy McVeigh.
AFAICT the only way Islam enters into Middle Eastern sourced terrorism is as part of the definition of "us" vs. "them".
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I don't think any of the terrorist organizations are jihadist.
I wouldn't go that far [wikipedia.org]. Think of christians in the middle ages, willing to kill for religion. In a lot of ways the middle east is stuck in the middle ages. So you'll have guys who think it's ok to kill people just because they are Sufis or 'wrong sect.' You'll find people believing this even when they are relatively well off.
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I don't know what to believe anymore: http://www.globalresearch.ca/deleted-daily-mail-online-article-us-backed-plan-for-chemical-weapon-attack-in-syria-to-be-blamed-on-assad/5339178 [globalresearch.ca]
The correct answer is that it is a forgery. So you shouldn't believe it at all.
Britam Defence, David Goulding and Philip Doughty [dailymail.co.uk]
An article on 29 January reported allegations on the internet that the US Government had backed a plot to launch a chemicals weapons attack in Syria and blame it on the Assad regime. ... We now accept that email was fabricated and acknowledge there is no truth in any suggestion that Britam or its directors were willing to consider taking part in such a plot, which may have led to an atrocity.
We apologise to each of them and have agreed to pay substantial damages.
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There's something interesting about that denial you posted, it states as fact that the source of the email's computer was indeed cracked.
So who fabricated the email then, and why?
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So your thinking is that it won't be the use of chemical weapons on a civilian population killing over a thousand people in violation of international treaties, and in the face of repeated warnings from the international community that have been openly stated that will rile people up?
Yeah... you got any proof that the rebels or even a covert op didn't launch the alleged chemical weapons? Because Syria launching chemical weapons makes about as much sense as Obama nuking Texas.
I know, I know, you were damn sure Iraq had chemical weapons too, right? And they were throwing babies around, right? And Iran will have a nuke... what... 3 years ago now?
You're a fucking brain-dead fool who is the very target of the absurd propaganda the rest of us shake our head at. You're at the bottom of the int
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As explanations on Slashdot I find that "false flags" are greatly overused.
Yeah, Lizard Men don't use flags.
If you don't want to turn in your Paranoid Conspiracy Theorist badge, you've got to look for the conspiracy behind the conspiracy.
(But who's manipulating the Lizard Men?)
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All that cash and small arms just for the nice, US friendly freedom fighters
Re:It's Iran you Idiot (Score:4, Informative)
The Iraqi military was removed from Kuwait by military force because it had illegally occupied and annexed Kuwait, not because of rumors about incubators. It is a red herring.
There's a difference between reasons, real reasons, and stories you spread around to get the population riled up to support your actions.
Like the Kuwaiti lady that testified to the US Congress about the atrocities, and forgot to mention that she was a Kuwaiti Princess.
"Real Syrians..." (Score:1)
Real Syrians want the US gone. Now personally, I'm okay with Syrians just as long as they are willing to listen to non-Syrian views. I'm willing to listen to their viewpoints, why aren't they as open to mine? I'll even give a preview....free drugs, free sex, and free religion. I'm willing to listen to their views of freedom as well.
Re:"Real Syrians..." (Score:4, Interesting)
interesting comment...
word me too...this whole mess started as an outgrowth of the Arab Spring.
Egypt and Syria are getting the 'divide and conquer' treatment from the global Oil Oligarchs. It's just like Iran in '79.
Here's what they do: Take the (IMHO inevitable) progressive democratic revolution in a country ruled by an aristocrat installed by foreign oligarchs...
Now, find an extremist group that is local and non-progressive...
Then, turn them against the progressive rebels, enflame, maybe hire some hacker/thugs to make up some 'internet army' to cause trouble and confusion...
Bam...
There's how the Iranian Revolution, the Arab Spring in Egypt and Syria now got turned into a conflict between "conservatives" and "liberals"...
Status quo is maintained...which is all the Oil Oligarchs ever wanted in the first place...
Syrians are our friends. They want to be humans and exist just like us. They want the freedom of self-determination w/o some asshole dictating shit and controlling society for personal gain. I think we should help them.
To be clear (Score:1)
Are you saying that Syrians are open to hearing arguments for free sex, drugs, and religion? If such is the case I'll be out protesting in the morning any interention in a country that guarantees such liberties!
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see, this is nice...i like it...it's a classic feedback loop of human society
free sex = more humans
free drugs = more sex
free religion = more drugs
lust->ecstasy->guilt
why not...it's in all the religions of the region anyway
call it 'self reflection' (Score:2)
oh my goodness...guys...you *have* to look up 'pleasure delaying'
seriously, how many times can you bust a nut or get high?
without some sort of way to 'recharge' or have self-reflection the 'highs' of ecstasy actually are just a flat line
call it 'self-reflection' or some other word of 'guilt' has too much baggage as a term for you
the idea is it is part of a cycle in a feedback loop
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I live in the U.S.A. I want those things too. Who can I get to help *me*?
look man, i feel you...but even the most down and out American has opportunities for advancement that no Syrian has...
the answer for who is going to help you is *yourself*...it's our burden for being so rich
the thing to learn is, by helping Syrians have freedom of self determination we promote the same for ourselves
we help ourselves by helping the Syrians
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NSA up to its old tricks again. (Score:1)
If I had to guess, someone (name rhymes with banana-rama-me-m-mobama) wants war.
Twitter accounts compromised, too... (Score:2)
I've heard several reports today of people receiving direct messages from apparently compromised accounts. The direct message apparently contains a link to a website asking the potential victim to confirm their password.
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Warfare? (Score:1)
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Yeah I'm wondering what they call it when they go in with planes, bomb the shit out of every city with white phosphorous, murder civilians by the thousands, deploy killer robots that shoot anything that moves and torture any survivors in secret prisons, where they are kept eternally without trial or even informing them as to why they are arrested. Then put a phony puppet government and use the entire country for a money laundering operations while keeping it in a state of constant civil war so they can just
Rob Malda did it. (Score:1)
The famous Commander Taco ( well, famous around here anyway )
now works for the NSA. His job at WaPo is merely a cover.
You read it here first.
AND FRANCE SURRENDERS !! (Score:3, Funny)
In anticipation of an attack, France has formally surrendered !!
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Don't forget Greenpeace. France totally kicked Greenpeace's ass.
Theatrics (Score:3, Insightful)
I am putting money on a flase flag that FOIA will release in 20 years. Sad part is the story is always the same. Just different details.
Remember in the Stratfor hack some of the documents detailed a consortium of people planning chemical attacks in such a way as to place blame on Assad.
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Unlikely to be that soon. 30-60 years appears to be the more usual timescale.
Re:Theatrics (Score:5, Informative)
Putting your money on a "false flag" for something this cheesy is, quite frankly, a stupid bet.
I won't pretend to know if it is... But folks remember the last time the US presented "conclusive evidence" and it turned out to be fabrication. Why isn't this evidence presented? Why are others, such as SG Moon, reserving judgment for now?
Much of these rebels are affiliated to AQ, why are you so sure supporting them is a good idea?
Again I don't know either. I just think you're jumping to conclusions prematurely.
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I just really wish that the US (and mostly the CIA) would learn from the foreign policy mistakes of the last 50 years. Every time we get involved in one of these middle-eastern sectarian wars, it just gets worse for the US.
Iran in the 1950s
Israel / Lebanon / Syria / Egypt in the 1960s
Iran in the 1970s
Iraq / Iran, Afghanistan, and Lebanon in the 1980s
Iraq / Kuwait in the 1990s
Iraq / Afghanistan in the 2000s
Afghanistan in the 2010s...
We should just GTFO and let them kill each other like they obviously want t
Site Up, Just Misdirected (Score:5, Interesting)
Note that many links on the site will not work because they point to the nytimes.com domain. To read articles you'll have to copy the link, paste it into the location field and change "www.nytimes.com" to "170.149.168.130"... for example:
Clicking a link on their home page attempts to take you here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/business/media/hacking-attack-is-suspected-on-times-web-site.html [nytimes.com]
But that won't work, so you want to change it to:
http://170.149.168.130/2013/08/28/business/media/hacking-attack-is-suspected-on-times-web-site.html [170.149.168.130]
The CSS is still pointing to nytimes.com, so the page will look funny, but at least you can read it.
Re:Site Up, Just Misdirected (Score:5, Informative)
or add nytimes.com to your host file with the correct IP address, browse as usual.
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7:30 AM still can't get there via name. Interesting.
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Since www.nytimes.com is technically a different domain from nytimes.com you'd have to add an entry for that too.
I'm not an expert.
And the NSA couldn't stop this? (Score:1)
Wasn't the NSA surveillance program supposed to put a stop to things like this?
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The senior staff will get a few calls about standing down their better performing/more complex Russian weapons. The UK/CIA backed 'freedom' fighters can then advance and there will be a pure flowers and candy victory.
After the US backed freedom fighters/mercs win if the staff did as they where told, clean identity papers/cash will be offered.
If the defence networks light up or any real defensive role is take
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Wasn't the NSA surveillance program supposed to put a stop to things like this?
The NSA is hardly going to stop the very thing they are likely doing, i.e. pretending to be some obviously BS "Syrian Electronic Army". It's so fake, it's laughable. But in the Land of the Liar and the Greater Fool, it doesn't matter. Most Americans don't even know what a false flag operation is, they are so fucking stupid.
I have a great idea (Score:1)
1) Hack news paper, put up false headline
2) Wait for stock market to drop, buy large
3) Sell when stock market recovers
I think it may have been a little more local. (Score:1)
I would not be surprised at all if this was a local attack, designed as a false provocation to build the case for invasion. It will be interesting to watch and see what other "attacks" happen. Though, if Syria is gassing it's own people, something should be done and the UN is too incompetent to fulfill it's charter. It seems the United States gets to re-evaluate it's position as world police every few years when some wack job government goes berserk on it's people and the UN is too busy being the UN to do a
If you believe this... (Score:1)
... you'll believe anything.
What utter nonsense. Syria are the victims in all of this, thanks to Zionists and Zionist symathisers in Congress.
so far... (Score:2)
>The hoax caused U.S. stock markets to briefly lose $200 billion in value
You know when I found out they could hack the power grid, I thought, wow what damage could that cause!
Then I heard they could hack into missal silos and probably decrypt the launch codes given enough time to brute force the sequence, I knew for sure how much damage that could cause....
Now i see that they can hack media outlets where people get their information from and post hoax stories on almost any news paper or channel, getting
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Obama doesn't want to go to war (it's expensive, financially and politically, Americans will die, and the U.S. will end up having to stick around for 20 years after the end of the war to prop up the country)
OTOH, it may be in the national interest, because it would give the pundicks at FOX news something new to complain about. I'm tired of going into a place of business that has them on, and being treated to incessant Bengazi outrage and "Obamacare is making everyone's insurance rates go up".
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Obama doesn't want to go to war (it's expensive, financially and politically, Americans will die, and the U.S. will end up having to stick around for 20 years after the end of the war to prop up the country)
I'm missing which of these things is supposed to dissuade Obama from going to war. He's sanctioned actually killing American citizens without due process, let alone sending them to die. He's already in his second term, so he doesn't need to be politically popular. It's not his money. Meanwhile, his corporate masters profit if we go to war. People buy more shit they don't need, the government buys more war equipment from its carefully selected sole sources...
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Arabs don't the media? What the fuck does that mean?
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Hard to believe but the domains were definitely registered at Melbourne IT. So this wasn't a typical hijack and transfer attack. Melbourne IT has always been absolute bottom-rung as far as service goes, why such large orgs use them remains a mystery. Their reputation for security is the only thing they had. Now that's been vaporized.