Brazil - Has CIA Struck Again?

BRICS five major emerging national economies developing or newly industrialised countries large, fast-growing economies significant influence on regional and global affairs represent over 3 billion people, or 42% of the world population GDP of US$16.039 trillion, equivalent to abt 20% of the gross world product estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves [wikipedia] RT News source https://www.rt.com/news/339268-brazil-rousseff-impeachment-protests/ Rousseff supporters confront MPs after Brazil congressional committee ‘recommends’ impeachment Published time: 12 Apr, 2016 05:01 Edited time: 12 Apr, 2016 05:38 A Brazilian Special Parliamentary Committee has voted to recommend the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in a move that was slammed as an attempted coup by her supporters. They rejected accusations of alleged budget manipulation during her re-election campaign. The 65-member congressional committee voted 38 to 27 to recommend her impeachment, paving the way for the possible dismissal of the Brazilian president. The lower house of Brazil's Congress is now expected to vote April 17 on whether to impeach Rousseff. At least 342 of the 513 members of the body need to vote for impeachment for the measure to move to the Senate. If half the Senate votes for impeachment, Rousseff would be temporarily suspended from office pending a Senate trial. If the impeachment charges stand ground, the 69-year-old who took up the presidential seat in 2011, will be the first to be impeached since 1992. More than two decades ago Fernando Collor de Mello resigned right before a Senate conviction prompted by corruption charges. After receiving the news of the commission’s vote, Rousseff was “perplexed and saddened” by the result, presidential chief of staff Jaques Wagner announced. Rousseff is suspected of having broken fiscal laws by shifting government funds ahead of her re-election campaign in 2014, which allegedly allowed her to boost public spending to drive her votes. Rousseff denies the accusations, claiming that she didn’t do anything that was not common practice in all prior administrations. Furthermore, she argues that she has not been accused of a crime which could serve as basis for any impeachment. Monday’s vote took place amid ongoing protests from both supporters and opponents of President Rousseff. Supporters of the president were quick to confront congressional committee members after the vote. Shouting “putschists”, “fascists” and “no pasaran” (they shall not pass) at the congressmen, they prevented the MPs from leaving the building. Security forces even built an 80-meter-long metal barricade in front of the congressional building to keep supporters and opponents of the government apart. Brazilian security forces also deployed thousands of troops in the capital city of Brasilia. As Brazilian society remains split over idea of Rousseff’s impeachment, local newspaper Folha de S. Paulo leaked an audio recording of Vice President Michel Temer rehearsing and address to the Brazilian people if the impeachment process were to move forward. In the leaked speech, Temer speaking as the new president says that Brazil needs a “government of national salvation” to save the country from recession as he called for unity in the political system. Reacting to the recording, Temer said the 13-minute audio message was recorded for a friend, but was distributed through WhatsApp to other party members “by accident.” source https://www.rt.com/news/339268-brazil-rousseff-impeachment-protests/ EXTRACT The Empire President: Jeremy Scahill on Obama's "Neocon" Doctrine of Military Force in U.N. Speech September 25, 2013 In an address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama openly embraced an aggressive military doctrine backed by previous administrations on using armed force beyond the international norm of self-defense. Obama told the world that the United States is prepared to use its military to defend what he called "our core interests" in the Middle East: U.S. access to oil. "[Obama] basically came out and said the U.S. is an imperialist nation and we’re going to do whatever we need to do to conquer areas [and] take resources from people around the world," says independent journalist Jeremy Scahill. "It’s a really naked declaration of imperialism ... When we look back at Obama’s legacy, this is going to have been a very significant period in U.S. history where the ideals of very radical right-wing forces were solidified. President Obama has been a forceful, fierce defender of empire." TRANSCRIPT This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. NERMEEN SHAIKH: I want to turn back to President Obama’s address at the U.N. General Assembly. During the speech, Obama told the world the U.S. is prepared to use its military to defend what he called, quote, "our core interests" in the Middle East—that is, U.S. access to oil. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The United States of America is prepared to use all elements of our power, including military force, to secure our core interests in the region. We will confront external aggression against our allies and partners, as we did in the Gulf War. We will ensure the free flow of energy from the region to the world. NERMEEN SHAIKH: That was President Obama speaking yesterday at the U.N. General Assembly. Jeremy, your response to what Obama said in his speech? JEREMY SCAHILL: I mean, during this section of the speech, my jaw sort of hit the floor. I mean, he just—he basically came out and said the United States is an imperialist nation, and we’re going to do whatever we need to to conquer areas to take resources from people around the world. I mean, it was a really naked sort of declaration of imperialism—and I don’t use that word lightly, but it really is. I mean, he pushed back against the Russians when he came out and said, "I believe America is an exceptional nation." He then, you know, defended the Gulf War and basically said that the motivation behind it was about oil, and said we’re going to continue to take such actions in pursuit of securing natural resources for ourselves and our allies. I mean, this was a pretty incredible and bold declaration that he was making, especially given what he—the way that he’s tried to portray himself around the world. On the other hand, you know, he—I mean, remember what happened right before Obama took the stage, is that the president of Brazil got up, and she herself was a former political prisoner who, you know, was abused and targeted in a different lifetime, and she gets up and just blasts the United States over the NSA spy program around the world. AMY GOODMAN: We have President Dilma Rousseff in her address to the U.N. General Assembly.     PRESIDENT DILMA ROUSSEFF: We are a democratic country, surrounded by democratic, peaceful countries that respect international law. We have been living in peace with our neighbors for more than 140 years. Like so many other Latin Americans, I myself fought on a firsthand basis against arbitrary behavior and censorship, and I could therefore not possibly fail to uncompromisingly defend individuals’ rights to privacy and my country’s sovereignty. AMY GOODMAN: That’s the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff openly criticizing U.S. spying on her government, the news that just broke from the Ed Snowden releases that was released with Globo newspaper in Brazil by Glenn Greenwald, who is a U.S. journalist who lives in Brazil. And, Jeremy, you’re headed down there for the opening of your film, Dirty Wars, this week. JEREMY SCAHILL: Right, and, you know, I was there when this story was breaking. It is a major, major scandal in Brazil. I mean, it was such a major scandal that President—the president cancelled her state dinner with President Obama. This wasn’t just like sitting in the Oval Office or something. This is a thing where they create a huge menu, and they invite all these people, and it was meant to sort of secure this relationship of these two huge Western Hemisphere powers. I mean, Brazil is a rising power in the Western Hemisphere, and this was to be a very important moment in the history of relations between the U.S. and Brazil. And for the Brazilians to cancel it just shows you the severity of this scandal. I mean, all around the world right now, in the aftermath of the WikiLeaks cables being revealed, now you have the Edward Snowden documents, people around the world have access to documentation that in some cases is bolstering what people already thought was going on, but in other cases is revealing the extent of dirty tricks that the United States is playing on other nations around the world, and not to mention its own citizens." SOURCE http://www.democracynow.org/2013/9/25/the_empire_president_jeremy_scahill_on Dilma Rousseff President, Brazil -- economist -- Workers' Party (Brazil) -- centre-left -- one of the largest left-wing movements in Latin America -- party identified as 'socialist' -- 1988: -- party advocated repudiation of Brazil's external debt -- party advocated nationalisation of banks & mineral wealth -- party advocated land reform     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers'_Party_%28Brazil%29 -------/\/\/ Dilma Rousseff -- socialist during youth -- after 1964 Brazilian coup d'état 1964 Brazilian coup d'état -- coup = US supported overthrow of democratically elected -- Prsident Joao Goulart ('Jango') by military -- Brazilian Labour Party --  Cabo Anselmo - agent provocateur (Sailors' Revolt / navy) -- Lincoln Gordon (Abraham Lincoln Gordon) -- US ambassador Brazil (1961-1966) -- academic and govt/diplomatic career -- Kennedy's leading expert on Latin American economics -- 1960:  helped develop 'Alliance for Progress' aid program -- to prevent Latin America turning to revolution & socialism for economic progress -- grants and credits provided by the USA to Brazil -- development loans and military aid   -- Lincoln Gordon (Abraham Lincoln Gordon) -- played major role for the support of opposition versus President João Goulart -- 1964 Lincoln Gordon cable:      -- urged support of:     -- Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco     -- with a “clandestine delivery of arms"     -- with shipments of gas and oil     -- with possibility of CIA ops     *Noam Chomsky has been critical of coup     -- US destroyed Brazilian democracy     -- by supporting military coup 1964     -- support for coup initiated by Kennedy but carried to conclusion by Johnson     -- US installed first really major national security state, Nazi-like state, in Latin America     -- with high-technology torture     -- Lincoln Gordon called it 'totally democratic'     -- there was an economic increase in GNP miracle     -- there was also INCREASED SUFFERING for much of population     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Gordon NOTE:     -- actual operational files of CIA remain classified     -- preventing historians from examining CIA's direct involvement in coup     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Brazilian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT Exciting development in Latin America. Dilma Rousseff and her political party sound good to me.  But they also sound like a classic American capitalist 'enemy'.   Uh-oh.  Look out for the American oligarchy and its CIA machinery. Note that Brazil is one of the BRICS countries:  thus a challenger to the US-led trade-financial and power hegemony, threatening the capitalist US-led bloc's domination and plans of one world government (capitalist profits, control etc) expansion and imposition on the rest of the world. Bet the CIA has been up to dirty tricks again. Check out what they've already done to Brazil! I've only just quickly skimmed this, the 1964 Brazil coup is in keeping with what little I know of the standard American capitalist order pattern of subverting democracy in Latin America (and elsewhere) and installing oppressive US corporate friendly, US-backed, regimes.

Panama 'Leaks' Amigos: Limited Hangout Leak

SOURCE http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Dance-to-the-Panama-Papers-Limited-Hangout-Leak-20160405-0036.html Dance to the Panama Papers 'Limited Hangout' Leak By: Pepe Escobar Associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin were revealed to have hundreds of millions of dollars stashed away in offshore accounts. Published 5 April 2016 Pepe Escobar connects the dots. Calling out around the world; time to put on your made in Ecuador Panama hat and frantically start dancing to the ultimate limited hangout leak. And if you believe in the purity of intentions of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) at the center of the leak, I’ve got a made in Shenzhen Panama hat to sell you (disclosure: I never was, and never will be, a member of the ICIJ). The Washington-based ICIJ gets its cash and its "organizational procedure" via the Exceptionalistan-based, Orwellian-named Center for Public Integrity. The funds flow mostly from the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment, the Rockefeller Family Fund, the Kellogg Foundation and the George Soros-owned Open Society. Then there is Eastern Europe-based partner organization OCCRP, an even more Orwellian outfit self-styled as playing some sort of progressive, alternative media role. OCCRP is funded by Soros and USAID. And finally there’s this fictional land named Panama – a certified U.S. vassal. Absolutely nothing of real substance happens in Panama without a green light by the United States government. Or, as an international tax lawyer told me, “you have to be an idiot to stash money in Panama. You cannot flush a toilet there without the Americans knowing about it.” This sets the scene for the Panama Papers leak – a massive hoard of 11.5 million documents allegedly leaked from someone inside offshore heavies Mossack Fonseca to the center-left, NATO-friendly Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in Munich and then shared by the ICIJ with selected mainstream media partners. Even without a smoking gun, a case can be made this alleged most massive leak ever was obtained by – what else – U.S. intel. This is the kind of stuff the NSA excels at. The NSA is able to break into virtually any database and/or archives anywhere; they steal “secrets;” and then selectively destroy/blackmail/protect assets and “enemies,” according to USG interests.     Absolutely nothing of real substance happens in Panama without a green light by the United States government. That’s the essence of a limited hangout sold to public opinion as a serious corruption investigation. And that’s where Western corporate media enters the scene, protecting whatever 0.00000001 percent honcho is caught in the net, as well as sacrificing some disposable pawns. So we have over 300 reporters pouring over hundreds of thousands of document/files for over an interminable year with, miraculously, no leaks whatsoever; just for a bunch of corporate mainstream media hacks meticulously cherry picked stories and decide what is “newsworthy." Western alternative media would have investigated the data without sparing anyone; but it would be out of the question to grant them access. What’s already certain is that the full extent of the Panama leak will never be known. Even the by now exceedingly pathetic The Guardian admitted, on the record, that "much of the leaked material will remain private". Why? Because it may – inadvertently and directly – implicate a gaggle of Western 0.00000001 percent multibillionaires and corporations. All of them play the offshore casino game (although not necessarily in Panama.) So the Panama Papers, stripped to the bone, may reveal themselves essentially as an infowar operation by the NSA – targeted mostly against “enemies” (as in the BRICS nations) and selected disposable pawns; a weaponized psyops posing as an 'activist leak', straight from the Hybrid War playbook. Step on the Monster Truck A who’s who of wealthy/powerful players has been directly targeted in the Panama Papers, from the – demented – King of Saudi Arabia to former Fiat/Ferrari stalwart Luca de Montezemolo, from Lionel Messi to (unnamed) Chinese Communist Party officials and the brother-in-law of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Extra-juicy element is provided by the presence of Alaa Mubarak – the son of the deposed Egyptian snake; Ayad Allawi, the butcher of Fallujah and former U.S. occupation prime minister; Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (a Saudi protégé, so he must get offshore advice as well); and Dov Weisglass, the butcher of Gaza and former advisor to Israeli Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert (this one already convicted of corruption.) These are all disposable. We find in the list not only Middle Eastern racketeers but also the token “respectable” European – from Iceland’s Prime Minister (already forced to resign) to David Cameron’s father Ian. And some players that might be considered Exceptionalistan’s friends, such as vulture fund-friendly Argentina President Mauricio Macri and chocolate heavyweight cum Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who has a lot of funds parked in the British Virgin Islands. Predictably, particular emphasis is on BRICS members – from those mysterious Chinese to Indian companies. As far as Brazil is concerned, there may be a healthy counterpoint; the presence of notoriously corrupt leader of the lower house Eduardo Cunha; his Swiss accounts had surfaced after the HSBC leaks, now some more showed up on the Panama Leaks. Still to be explained is a juicy Brazilian-related angle; whether the Panama Leaks are directly related to the fact that Ramon Fonseca, 50 percent of Mossack Fonseca, was dismissed as president of the Panameñista Party last month because of Operation Car Wash – which targets mostly the ruling Workers’ Party in Brazil. The Panama Papers are in fact a Monster Truck, global version of Car Wash. Lula, predictably, is not on the Panama list – to the despair of the Exceptionalistan-supported regime changers in Brazil, many of them (media barons, bankers, businessmen) featured on the previous HSBC leaks. Regime-Changers-in-Chief, the Globo media empire, are also not on the Panama leaks, although they profit from a certified offshore racket. Syria was always bound to be a key target. Much of Western corporate media “newsworthy” stories now focus on “Assad’s fixer” Rami Makhlouf, described in U.S. diplomatic cables as Syria’s “poster boy for corruption” and under U.S. sanctions since February 2008. Such a convenient target. Yet “poster boy” happened to be quite sheltered by HSBC as well. Putin Did It And so we finally get to the key target of Monster Truck (in Brazil’s Car Wash they are Lula and President Rousseff). It’s got the requisite BRICS angle and it’s a dream spin; cue to virtually every major Western corporate media headline blaring that Vladimir Putin has stashed US$2 billion offshore. The problem is he didn’t. Putin is guilty by association because of his “close associates” Arkady and Boris Rotenberg’s alleged ties to money laundering. Yet three “incriminating” emails in the files happen not to “incriminate” them, or Putin. And then there’s cellist Sergey Roldugin, a childhood friend of Putin’s. Here’s the – politically filtered – spin by the ICIJ: “The records show Roldugin is a behind-the-scenes player in a clandestine network operated by Putin associates that has shuffled at least US$2 billion through banks and offshore companies. In the documents, Roldugin is listed as the owner of offshore companies that have obtained payments from other companies worth tens of millions of dollars. … It’s possible Roldugin, who has publicly claimed not to be a businessman, is not the true beneficiary of these riches. Instead, the evidence in the files suggests Roldugin is acting as a front man for a network of Putin loyalists – and perhaps for Putin himself.” What about rephrasing it as, “the evidence in the files suggests Lionel Messi is acting as a frontman for a network of football loyalists trying to evade the rape of Argentina by U.S. hedge fund vultures friendly to new President and offshore account holder Mauricio Macri”? The juiciest bit is that Moscow knew all along another Hybrid War offensive chapter was imminent, days if not weeks before Panama went viral. Make America Great Again Offshore bank accounts are not intrinsically illegal. Quite a few though involve dodgy money, or at least provide the euphemistic “low-tax environment” fundamental to the very wealthy.     OPINION:     The New Silk Roads and the Rise of the 'Chinese Dream'    It’s not an accident that the Panama Papers unveil connections to several dozen firms and individuals who are prominently featured in U.S. sanctions blacklists. That configures the Panama Papers as even more of a limited hangout; the real Papers would be the Cayman Papers or the Virgin Island Papers. That’s where most of the in-the-know park their money (not to mention Luxembourg). Adding to the hilarity factor, David Cameron suddenly woke up to the need to stop British overseas territories – and Crown dependencies – being used by the wealthy to park their untaxed fortune. It’s never going to happen. The so-called international banking/financial system is a demented casino. It’s not only 8 percent; Hong Kong players tell me as much as 50 percent of global wealth may currently be parked, undisturbed, in untaxable offshore havens. If a fraction of these astonishing funds would be taxed, governments right and left would be paying their debts, investing in infrastructure, launching round after round of sustainable growth, and a productive spiral would be in motion. And that leads us to the cherry in the corruption cake; how come there are no Americans in this limited hangout leak? Of course there are none. Panama is for suckers. Too obvious. Too rakish. Too crude. Ergo, forget about The Cayman Papers. As for foreigners in-the-know, we just need to go back a mere three months ago to this Bloomberg piece, where Andrew Penney, Managing Director of Rothschild & Co., spells it all out; the U.S. “is effectively the biggest tax haven in the world.” The circle is finally squared; Panama is revealed as the patsy – mere collateral damage in this limited hangout Monster Truck operation. Domestic tax haven providers, such as Rothschild, are the real deal. Make America great again? It already is – as the top tax shelter for hardcore dodgy money had to be...a monster Panama: Exceptionalistan itself. Now dance, suckers. Pepe Escobar is a columnist for RT. SOURCE http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Dance-to-the-Panama-Papers-Limited-Hangout-Leak-20160405-0036.html -------/\/\/ ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT Cool article.    Wow, an NSA dunnit?  LOL C'mon, China ... give us real leaks.  ;)

Murky World: Panama 'Leaks', 400 Responsible Stenographers & One-Armed Chimps

Murky World PANAMA 'LEAKS' 400 Responsible Stenographers & One-Armed Chimps [source:  various borrowed] OBSCENE CENSORSHIP WikiLeaks LINK | Source WikiLeaks LINK | Source Three one-armed Google chimps coulda got more ... LOL LINK | Source ICIJ Funded & Organised Almost Entirely by USA Oligarchy Think-Do Propaganda Tanks & Echo Chambers  Craig Murray (former British Ambassador) LINK | Source OCCRP USAID FUNDING (USAID SHOCKING CIA Associations) + HYBRID WARRIOR, SOROS WikiLeaks LINK | Source see also: The murderous history of USAID, the US Government agency behind Cuba's fake Twitter clone By Mark Ames - April 8, 2014 "... USAID (United States Agency for International Development) — the government agency which manages billions in overseas “humanitarian” aid programs — plotted to overthrow Cuba’s communist regime via a covertly-funded fake Twitter platform." "... USAID — the nice, humanitarian, democracy-promoting arm of American idealism — also engages in sleazy regime-change and subversion. The sorts of nefarious covert activities folks normally associate with the CIA." "...  USAID co-investing with Omidyar Network in Ukraine NGOs that organized and led the Maidan revolution in Kiev, resulting in the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych." "I assumed that most reporters already understood what USAID gets up to overseas,  often alongside private nonprofits like those run by Soros, Gates, Rockefeller, Ford and more recently, Omidyar." "The truth is, USAID’s role in a covert ops and subversion should be common knowledge ... " "USAID grew out of programs like the Marshall Plan, but the agency itself wasn’t established until 1961 under President Kennedy. Under Kennedy’s reorganization, a police training program set up under President Eisenhower, the Office of Public Safety (OPS), was placed under USAID’s authority. The OPS had been set up in 1957 to train friendly overseas police forces how to be more professional, more democratic, less corrupt, more like us — but in reality, the OPS was essentially a CIA proxy, headed by an agent named Byron Engle, its ranks covertly sprinkled with CIA spooks in hotspots across the globe." MORE AT SOURCE: https://pando.com/2014/04/08/the-murderous-history-of-usaid-the-us-government-agency-behind-cubas-fake-twitter-clone/ ICIJ Pretenders WikiLeaks LINK | Source 'Responsible Journalism'  LINK | Source Corporate Masters LINK | Source ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT LOL ... that was fun. Love everyone's comments.

TOR vs VPN | WHICH TO USE

Source The Tin Hat ... lol https://thetinhat.com/tutorials/darknets/tor-vpn.html   TOR vs VPN | WHICH TO USE Tor & VPN described as often conflated -- but Tor & VPN are different -- which is more suitable depends on context Essentially: Tor:  for activists & 'secret squirrels' / not for video downloads [caution:  not bullet-proof] vs VPN:  for (not vital) everyday anonymity / good for downloads VPNs -- take connection -- encrypt connection -- pass connection through server -- contact goes via VPN server to connection site sought -- ie:  it provides encryption & diversion of your online traffic A.     -- what you are doing & who you are connecting with not visible     -- eg. public wifi:  those watching get jumbled info sent to random server     -- same applies to Internet Service Provider (ISP) B. -- site visited does not know your geolocation (privacy enhanced)     -- this permits by-passing geographic restrictions on services Note: * what you do through VPN is know by operator of the VPN * VPN services claim not to log activity  but this is only a representation that may be dishonoured * eg. if VPN provider is issued with a court order for info on your activities * VPN provider would likely find some way to link your activity back to you * So:  VPN = good for low risk situations * BUT not so good for anonymity against a state actor Tor Browser -- works differently -- instead of connecting directly to server -- your connection is encrypted, bounced around x3 servers ('relays' or 'nodes') -- before being decrypted & sent to destination -- FIRST SERVER - knows your location -- SECOND SERVER - only knows data from FIRST SERVER -- THIRD SERVER - only knows that data from SECOND SERVER -- anonymity is provided as the third server cannot know origin of data -- majority of Tor servers not 'malicious' (do not log activity) -- nearly impossible to associate end-data of chain to origin -- very effective / takes significant state actor effort to de-anonymise -- bonus:  encryption by Tor to prevent - eg. ISP from seeing your traffic -- caution:  decryption at last server ('exit relay')  = point of vulnerability -- it is at this point your data can be spied upon -- therefore regular HTTP unencrypted connection relay of data (a no-no) -- can be read in its entirety at the exit relay by the operator of the exit relay -- however, using an add-on like HTTPS-Everywhere -- equals safely encrypted data -- with HTTPS even malicious server could not de-anonymise     * unless content contains personal info (email, name, address, etc)   COMMENT: I'm confused.  If HTTPS is supposed to be an encryption add-on -- how can a malicious server de-anonymise if personal data is included -- if encryption is supposed to be in place? -- makes no sense to me:  that's not encryption TOR - HIGHER SECURITY PRIVACY BROWSING ANONYMITY vs SPEED -- much slower than VPN -- but far better re anonymity -- avoid watching videos or downloading torrents -- bad for entire network & extremely slow -- best for high level anonymity needs -- eg. high threat levels = law enforcement scenarios -- journalists dealing w. sensitive sources, whistleblowers, political activists -- those living under oppressive state surveillance etc [comment:  all of us under US empire mass surveillance oppression ... LOL] -- use Tor if adversary is "more dangerous than a DMCA complaint" (copyright) -- promises provided by VPN companies = not enough. Use Tor. -- *do not treat Tor as if it were bullet-proof -- with enough time, de-anonymization is possible by agencies such eg. NSA -- using Tor = best bet, unless you are an NSA high-value target -- using tor for low bandwidth static sites helps 'populate' the Tor traffic -- & providing cover for those who need Tor for vital reasons -- note:  Tor is only an ANONYMITY TOOL -- without operational security (see OPSEC), anonymity tools rendered useless -- watch bad habits - can reveal ID to the motivated adversary -- keep torrenting to VPN -- VPN - EVERYDAY BROWSING PRIVACY -- VPN good for low-risk/bandwidth-heavy purposes -- VPN's are good for VIDEOS & TORRENTS task OPSEC -- operational security https://grugq.github.io/ The Grugq -- teach operational security (OPSEC) -- ie good security habits http://grugq.tumblr.com/ Source:  The Tin Hat https://thetinhat.com/tutorials/darknets/tor-vpn.html

'Top Secret' - Game or British Acclimatisation PsyOp?

ꕤ Article SOURCE http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-01-10-where-in-the-world-is-edward-snowden 'Top Secret' - Game or British Acclimatisation PsyOp?  http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-01-10-where-in-the-world-is-edward-snowden Simon Parkin Simon Parkin is an award-winning writer and journalist from England, a regular contributor to The New Yorker, The Guardian and a variety of other publications. Where in the world is Edward Snowden? The game that puts you in search of history's most notorious whistleblower. SUMMARY: James Long British graduate in theoretical physics product, game:  Top Secret casts player as NSA employee tasked with following intel to source deciding who knows what & whether to help whistleblower blurs reality & fantasy (Snowden group + fiction) 1,000 scattered fragments / disjointed, non-linear journey played out entirely in your actual email programme to begin: send an email to member of your 'NSA team' surveillance reports return, with 'metadata' James Long "Every email you send and receive while playing the game can be intercepted by the real government," he says. "So we have a game about surveillance in which your play itself is subject to surveillance." Top Secret supports Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption method used by Edward Snowden James Long "I'm nakedly partisan and a huge fan of Snowden. I believe the government has gone too far with mass surveillance." James Long "One of the reasons you play as an NSA analyst is that it allows the game to present the viewpoints of those in the security services. You are free to make up their own mind and decide how far you'll go when invading the lives of others. For change to happen you have to start a debate. It doesn't matter if people disagree with you as long as they are talking about the issue." http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-01-10-where-in-the-world-is-edward-snowden Guardian Article http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/10/video-game-makers-james-long-top-secret BY THE SAME WRITER / BRIEF VERSION ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT So, is this really a game or is it a GCHQ acclimatisation to mass surveillance and a take-the-NSA-POV PsyOp? ꕤ

Juniper Networks ScreenOS / Netscreen Firewalls - VPN Traffic Decryption - NSA Backdoor?

ꕤ Article SOURCE http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/12/unauthorized-code-in-juniper-firewalls-decrypts-encrypted-vpn-traffic/ Extracts Ars Technica “Unauthorized code” in Juniper firewalls decrypts encrypted VPN traffic Backdoor in NetScreen firewalls gives attackers admin access, VPN decrypt ability. by Dan Goodin - Dec 18, 2015 10:50am AEDT An operating system used to manage firewalls sold by Juniper Networks contains unauthorized code that surreptitiously decrypts traffic sent through virtual private networks, officials from the company warned Thursday. ...  Release notes published by Juniper suggest the earliest vulnerable versions date back to at least 2012 and possibly earlier. There's no evidence right now that the backdoor was put in other Juniper OSes or devices. "... Juniper discovered unauthorized code in ScreenOS ... administrative access to NetScreen devices and to decrypt VPN connections," Juniper Chief Information officer Bob Worrall wrote. A separate advisory from Juniper says there are two separate vulnerabilities, but stops short of describing either as "unauthorized code." The first flaw allows unauthorized remote administrative access to an affected device over SSH or telnet. Exploits can lead to complete compromise. "The second issue may allow a knowledgeable attacker who can monitor VPN traffic to decrypt that traffic," the advisory said. Whodunit? Word that the VPN-breaking code was the result of unauthorized code, as opposed to an inadvertent programming flaw, touched off immediate concern that ScreenOS had been deliberately tampered with. The most likely culprit for such tampering would be the NSA or one of its many counterparts around the world. Classified documents leaked by former NSA subcontractor Edward Snowden showed NSA agents intercepting network gear from Cisco Systems as it was being shipped to a customer. They installed covert implant firmware onto the device before sending it to its final destination. As involved as that process was, getting unauthorized code covertly installed into an official operating system and keeping it there for years would appear to be an even more complicated—and brazen—undertaking. This 2013 article published by Der Spiegel reported that an NSA operation known as FEEDTHROUGH worked against Juniper firewalls and gave the agency persistent backdoor access. "This malware burrows into Juniper firewalls and makes it possible to smuggle other NSA programs into mainframe computers," the article reported. "Thanks to FEEDTROUGH, these implants can, by design, even survive 'across reboots and software upgrades.' In this way, US government spies can secure themselves a permanent presence in computer networks. The catalog states that FEEDTROUGH 'has been deployed on many target platforms.'" Of course, it's also possible the backdoor was installed some other way. Juniper's advisory makes no mention who it suspects is behind the move or what steps it's taking to find out. Ars has asked Juniper for more details and will update this post as warranted. http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/12/unauthorized-code-in-juniper-firewalls-decrypts-encrypted-vpn-traffic/ ScreenOS -- operating system for NetScreen firewalls Juniper Networks Juniper Networks multinational corporation HQ, Sunnyvale, California develops and markets networking products routers switches network management software network security products software-defined networking tech -- efforts to establish an ecosystem of technologies, software & applications Juniper Networks - Market Share -- 2001 - 37% share of core routers market -- challenging Cisco, who previously dominated market -- 2014 - USD$419.7 BILLION revenue Pradeep Sindhu Indian-American entrepreneur VP, Board Directors co-founded Juniper in 1996 B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering (1974) Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur M.S. in Electrical Engineering (1976) University of Hawaii Ph.D (1982) in Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University Studied under Bob Sproull Sproull Oracle Corp was Associate Prof of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon est. consulting firm consulting firm bought by Sun Microsystems 1990 --> creation Sun Microsystems labs Sproull worked on design & director 2010 Sun bought by Oracle --> bcm Oracle Labs Pradeep Sindhu -- scientist with Xerox Paolo Alto Research Centre -- f. Juniper Networks 1996 Routers -- early routers for internet traffic -- intended for phone calls -- dedicated circuits for each caller -- Sindhu envisaged packet-based routers -- optimised for internet traffic -- joined by Sun Microsystems & MCI Communications engineers -- $2-million SEED FUNDING -- $12-million FUNDING in first year of ops Funding - $40-Million (1997) -- from a group of OEMs and service providers -- OEMs - 'original equipment manufacturers' -- are in fact re-sellers of another company's product under own name Contributors to 1997 funding: Northern Telecom 3Com Ericsson's Infocom Systems group Siemens/Newbridge Networks alliance WorldCom's UUNet Technologies subsidiary https://business.highbeam.com/3094/article-1G1-19746999/startup-snags-40m-bid-redefine-routers Spreading Control / Influence 2010 - Junos Innovation Fund Juniper Networks Establishes $50 Million Venture Fund will invest in companies 2010 - 2012 focusing on: networking tech applications security infrastructure services mobility services video solutions virtualisation network automation optical tech green networking investment as at 2010 article, in x11 companies - incl: Ankeena Networks Blade Network Technologies Cyan Optics FireEye Packet Design Vulture Fund - 'Activist Investor' Elliot Management Corporation hedge fund {billionaire Paul E. Singer} Dec. 2014 - Elliot owns 10% stake Juniper Networks x2 hedge fund directors appointed to Juniper board hedge fund guru Singer wants to cut this and that & increase share price -- eg operating costs & potential stock buy-backs in the billion --> basically wants to tell a successful, enormous tech company how to operate * I think the hedge fund may operate as a take-over merchant ACTIVIST INVESTORS -- include:     -- hedge funds     -- private equity firms     -- wealthy individuals well-known activist investors: Carl Icahn -- targets:  Yahoo, Blockbuster, Time Warner, RJR Nabisco & other NOTE   Company filing of SEC Form 13D -- investor purchases 5% or more shares notification -- indicative of possible 'activist investor' target 'activist hedge funds' -- term to describe hedge funds that: -- buy large public company shares -- seek to obtain seats on company's board -- aim to effect major changes in company -- attracted to companies that are: -- mismanaged -- have excessive costs -- could be run ore profitably as private company -- or other problem seen as fixable, to add value   'ACTIVIST INVESTORS'  TAKE-OVER MERCHANTS Paul Singer Carl Icahn Kirk Kerkorian Bill Ackman Eddie Lampert Nelson Peltz ============ 1 -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_Networks 2 -- http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/juniper-networks-fund/ 3 -- http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/activist-investor.asp 4 -- https://business.highbeam.com/3094/article-1G1-19746999/startup-snags-40m-bid-redefine-routers 5 --  Juniper Networks Reaches Pact With 'Activist' Hedge Fund http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/business/dealbook/juniper-networks-reaches-pact-with-activist-hedge-fund.html?_r=0 Mainframe aka  'big iron' -- high-performance computer -- large-scale computing -- large orgs for critical apps -- bulk data processing -- defined by high availability -- (ie higher than norm performance for higher than normal period) -- typically used in apps where downtime costly or catastrophic -- RAS (reliability, availability & serviceability) characteristic -- can run multiple operating systems -- pioneered virtualisation -- virtual machine mode (OS's running as if distinct computers) -- single mainframe eliminates conventional servers {I think} -- designed to handle very high volume input / output (I/O) -- emphasis on:  throughput computing -- subsidiary hardware (channels, periphery processors) - manage I/O devices -- CPU freed for high-speed memory MARKET SHARE - MAINFRAMES -- IBM mainframes:  90% market share -- software apps to manage performance -- 2010:  mainframe technology = less than 3% of IBM's revenues MARKET SHARE - MAINFRAMES SOFTWARE -- IBM - USA multinational, Revenue:  US$92.793 billion (2014) -- BMC - USA, Revenue:  US$2.172 billion (FY 2012) -- Computware  - USA, Revenue: private company -- CA Technologies - USA, multinational, Revenue: US$4.515 billion (2014) -- early models: -- punched cards, tape, magnetic tape -- batch mode operations (eg billing) -- 1970s  acquired interactive user interfaces -- operated as time-sharing computers -- able to then run batch processing + support of users -- early user access by special terminals -- later, from personal computers FURTHER HISTORY -- early manufacturers - IBM & the Seven Dwarfs     Burroughs     UNIVAC     NCR     Conctrol Data     Honeywell     General Electric     RCA -- Notable non-USA manufacturers Germany: Siemens Telefunken Britain: ICL Italy: Olivetti Japan: Fujitsu Hitachi Oki NEC Soviet Union -- close copies of IBM mainframes -- examples: BESM series Strela (ie 'arrow') 1980s, minicomputer-based systems -- more sophisticated -- displaced lower-end mainframes -- lower ends (aka 'departmental computers') - eg DEC VAX 1990s, servers based on microcomputer designs -- cheaper -- greater control -- interface terminals re mainframes eventually replaced by PCs Emerging Markets -- esp. People's Republic of China -- spurring innovation -- eg unified high volume transaction processing database / multiple industry access -- (eg banking, insurance, credit reporting, govt) 2012, NASA (space) powered down its last mainframe (IBM System z9) Supercomputers -- measured in - floating point operations per second (FLOPS) -- measured in (more recently) - traversed edges per second or TEPS -- frontline of current processing capacity -- esp. speed of calculation-- scientific & engineering probs (high-performance computing) versus Mainframes -- measured in millions of instructions per second (MIPS) -- data crunching & number crunching -- transaction processing -- {microprocessor-based servers & online networks also transaction process} HYBRID  Gameframe - 2007 -- hybrid computer system -- first used online video games industry -- blend of technologies & architectures for supercomputers & mainframes -- high computing power & high throughput -- Hoplon (Brazilian, multiplayer online games) & IBM joint project 2007 -- game server system -- offload of computation-intensive tasks from expensive CPU cycles of System z -- to economical 'Cell blades' (PowerXCell multicore processors) -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gameframe Mainframe info source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer System z --  ie - IBM z Systems -- family name used by IBM for all of its mainframe computers throughput -- rate of production of processing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throughput  {I'm stopping here, or the look-ups could go on forever ... lol} FEEDTROUGH: NSA Exploit of the Day https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/01/feedtrough_nsa.html ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT Wow, who's responsible? I'm going with NSA, even though I don't know what I'm talking about.  lol But if past history is anything to go by, it's likely an NSA infiltration, I think. ꕤ