Oh, for the love of Christ and all that is Holy, the New York Times cannot be serious about this. Nicole Perlroth and David Sanger now need to be watched like hawks. Let me ask you a question. If I asked you to list the people with an incentive to mess with the computer systems of American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, would you be able to complete it before the Sun burnt out? Would you tell me that the top of the list included North Koreans or Iranians, and not legions of Americans who got screwed by those institutions over the last decade?
Here we have an article that blames Iran for launching cyberattacks against our banks that has no on-the-record sources from anyone in our government. Here is all we get:
A group that calls itself the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters has claimed responsibility for those attacks.
The group says it is retaliating for an anti-Islamic video posted on YouTube last fall. But American intelligence officials and industry investigators say they believe the group is a convenient cover for Iran. Just how tight the connection is — or whether the group is acting on direct orders from the Iranian government — is unclear. Government officials and bank executives have failed to produce a smoking gun…
…The American and South Korean attacks underscore a growing fear that the two countries most worrisome to banks, oil producers and governments may be Iran and North Korea, not because of their skill but because of their brazenness. Neither country is considered a superstar in this area. The appeal of digital weapons is similar to that of nuclear capability: it is a way for an outgunned, outfinanced nation to even the playing field. “These countries are pursuing cyberweapons the same way they are pursuing nuclear weapons,” said James A. Lewis, a computer security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “It’s primitive; it’s not top of the line, but it’s good enough and they are committed to getting it.”
…
…Mr. Lewis, the computer security expert, agreed. “The Iranian attacks have tilted private sector opinion,” he said. “Hence the muted reaction to the executive order versus squeals of outrage. Companies are much more concerned about this and much more willing to see a government role.”
So, we have exactly one “industry investigator” on the record and he is actually working at the CSIS, not at the banks. We have no one from the “intelligence community” even quoted anonymously. No one from the administration is quoted.
Nonetheless, “The Iranian attacks” is put in print as if it is factual.
This must stop.
The two twits from the NYT are now aware of your piece!!
Jesus fuck:
I wonder about the time frame for Nicaragua because we weren’t supposed to be doing that in the 1980’s.
“neither country is considered a superstar in that area”
– it’s like looking for the lost coin next the lamp post – no, the person didn’t lose the coin there, it’s just that near the lamp post is the easiest place to look
Appeared at Intelcon 2005 with a Who’s Who of warmongers, neo-cons, spooks, and bought-and-paid-for spook journalists.
that’s an interesting choice of name for the group that claimed responsibility. it looks like they are trying to link their cyber attacks against banks to an anti-colonial message.
Interesting to see his name is so closely identified with Hamas. If there is an Iranian connection it would most likely come through that Hamas connection because he seems to have had nothing to do with the Shi’a. But Iran’s role with Hamas has always confused me. When I see guys like Harold Rhode pushing that angle, I get highly suspicious.
Anytime soon I expect Sanger to rip off his mask to unveil that he is actually Judy Miller, come back to revisit her handiwork on the NYT.
Then again if the Times is right we could all thank Iran for doing more against criminal financial fraud than our own DOJ is willing to do.
Also left out of the piece: that the US has been launching aggressive, first-strike cyberattacks against Iran since at least an early version of Stuxnet in 2005. The rest of the world, including Iran, is desperately trying to catch up in this technology because it is the US using it as an unprovoked act of war against other countries’ infrastructures. But it’s only bad when the other guys (allegedly) do it.
This, a thousand times this.
Can you imagine the enormous all-encompassing nuclear shitfit that would happen in Washington if vital equipment at Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore or Oak Ridge National Laboratories started killing itself, and it was discovered to be the work of Iran?
I think defacing some bank websites is awfully measured of a response form a country whose leaders, we’re told often, want a nuclear weapon ‘just because they want to watch the world burn’.
With domestic and foreign receipts of less than $8 million, chances are low that Sanger’s readers didn’t see Inside Job. Interesting that all of the highlighted thieves continue to live large and most remain powerful. Although two that were criticizing the banksters were knocked down a few pegs — Spitzer and DSK. Odd that among all the NYC banksters paying for sex (and/or cocaine) only those two were caught.
So now its Iran? A month ago they were hot on the trail of the Chinese.