Discovering NSA Code Names Via LinkedIn 201
Okian Warrior writes with this news as reported by TechDirt: "The Washington Post revealed some of the code names for various NSA surveillance programs, including NUCLEON, MARINA and MAINWAY. Chris Soghoian has pointed out that a quick LinkedIn search for profiles with codenames like MARINA and NUCLEON happens to turn up profiles like this one which appear to reveal more codenames: 'Skilled in the use of several Intelligence tools and resources: ANCHORY, AMHS, NUCLEON, TRAFFICTHIEF, ARCMAP, SIGNAV, COASTLINE, DISHFIRE, FASTSCOPE, OCTAVE/CONTRAOCTAVE, PINWALE, UTT, WEBCANDID, MICHIGAN, PLUS, ASSOCIATION, MAINWAY, FASCIA, OCTSKYWARD, INTELINK, METRICS, BANYAN, MARINA.' TRAFFICTHIEF, eh? WEBCANDID? Hmm... Apparently, NSA employees don't realize that information they post online can be revealed."
Sounds like FOIA time (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:A fleeting moment of rich irony. (Score:4, Interesting)
There are at least two confirmed idiots working for the NSA [1] [mobandmultitude.com], it's not that much of a stretch to think there's more where they came from.
Re:Simple explanation (Score:5, Interesting)
Simple answer, yes. Complex answer, sometimes the project managers want a hip and cool project name so they try to come up with a generic term for their project that is similar to what the project does. The project name has to go through a CAO (classification advisory officer), of which there are 20-25 at any given time. They are always people in positions that can be named to the public, so any name of an individual on the NSA website is a CAO. Like the Director of the NSA or the division chiefs. The CAO determines whether or not the project name gives away too much information about the details of the project.
In all reality, all of those project code names are probably one specific type of information that just came from different sources. Pinwale [wikipedia.org] is e-mails. So one of them is a database of foreign HF intercepts, another is a database of foreign-bound cell phones, one is a database of every phone call made by political opponents of the administration, etc.
Re:A fleeting moment of rich irony. (Score:5, Interesting)
first thing i thought was red herring
Re:A fleeting moment of rich irony. (Score:2, Interesting)
First thing I thought was pay back is a bitch.
Yeah, because knowing there's a project called "DISHFIRE" is so utterly helpful to figuring out what they're doing. Because we all live in conspiracy theorist wish fulfillment movies where this one grizzled screwball is screaming about how he knew there was something called "DISHFIRE", and why didn't we believe him before, and now we can stop it... somehow... whatever it is.
On a side note, though, "DISHFIRE" is an incredibly hilarious name for just about any project.
Re:A fleeting moment of rich irony. (Score:4, Interesting)
I laughed until I realized that these are the people who have legal permission to force IT giants to do whatever they want.
The world is screwed.