US Military Shuts Down CIA's Terrorist Honey Pot

Hugh Pickens sends in a Washington Post story about how US military cyber-warriors attacked and shut down a CIA-backed intelligence gathering site. "US military computer specialists, over the objections of the CIA, mounted a cyberattack that dismantled an online 'honey pot' monitored by US and Saudi intelligence agencies to identify extremists before they could strike, after military commanders said that the site was putting Americans at risk. The CIA argued that dismantling the site would lead to a significant loss of intelligence, while the military (in the form of the NSA) countered that taking it down was a legitimate operation in defense of US troops. 'The CIA didn't endorse the idea of crippling Web sites,' said one US counterterrorism official. The agency 'understood that intelligence would be lost, and it was; that relationships with cooperating intelligence services would be damaged, and they were; and that the terrorists would migrate to other sites, and they did.' Four former senior US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the creation and shutting down of the site illustrates the need for clearer policies governing cyberwar."

Re:Bah

[WrongSizeGlass]

More like the left hand and the right hand can't agree on what they need to do (or should be doing).

I'm sure both sides have legitimate reasons for their positions, but it would seem like this type of thing could (and should) be avoided ... and kept quiet too. I'm going to go check out their Facebook pages and see who's got the most Fans.

Re:Did I read this right?

[Spritzer]

It sounds to me like the DoD and NSA just violated a slew of laws under 18 USC. While I don't think it would help matters at all I thin it would be interesting to see the CIA seek prosecution of the offenders.

Re:Bah

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Anyone wanna bet they're just shutting down this one, which may have been "leaked" already somehow and that they're really pretending to stop a monitored honeypot when in fact, they terrorists "leaving for other sites" are leaving for the new, improved honeypots?

Kind of like how the US was happy to let people think Area-51 tests were UFOs since the Rooskies, who wouldn't believe it, would nevertheless think the US had built some hot shit?

Re:Did I read this right?

[mpe]

Basically yes. CIA ran a forum that the terrorist were using to communicate. The DOD decided it was a security risk and shut it down.

Given the former's history of supporting terrorism the latter could probbaly say they made an "honest mistake".
It's easy to suspect the intentions of a "poacher turned gamekeeper" when they still behave like a "poacher" at times :)

Mission Accomplished?

[blair1q]

After 9/11, the clear cause of the breakdown in security was determined to be that government agencies had grown insular. The overwhelming impetus for creating the Department of Homeland Security (a name that still creeps out my NaziDar®) was to integrate these agencies, to make them share information and goals.

You mean GW Bush didn't even get the super-spook agencies to cooperate?

Did that fucktard do ANYTHING right?

Re:Bah

[zill]

Let's not forget that Abwehr, the German intelligence agency, were headed by members of the German resistance who sought to undermine Hitler's influence.

Re:DHS

[Earthquake Retrofit]

Fatherland, I mean Homeland Security was sold as a clearinghouse for intelligence and to avoid inter-agency disputes. They've spent a lot of money, a huge new government department. It's important, really important, so important that the Senate put Joe Lieberman in charge of oversight... oh wait.