NotPetya: Why Would Russia Target Kaspersky AV?

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emptywheel
Both the US and Ukraine are blaming Russia for the NotPetya attack on Ukraine last week. But if that's true, why did the attack specifically target Kaspersky AV?
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Democrats Need a Plan for National Voter Protection

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emptywheel
Two noted racists are about to try to rebrand cheating as "integrity." It's time for the Democrats to do more than simply resist, but instead to lay out what real election integrity would look like in this country. 
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Does Maersk Count as US Critical Infrastructure?

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emptywheel
The slowdown of privately held Danish company Maersk shipping as a result of the Nyetna cyberattack slowed down at least three ports in the US. Does that make Maersk part of America's critical infrastructure, entitled to heightened cybersecurity protection and response?
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Minority Report: An Alternative Look at NotPetya

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Rayne
Tuesday's 'Petya/Petna/NotPetya' malware attacks generated a lot of misleading information and assumptions. This post looks at a prevailing assumption arising from the impact on Ukraine.
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The Dialectical Imagination by Martin Jay: Truth and Facts

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Ed Walker
Critical Theory starts from the premise that there are no absolutes, in contrast to the way many people, especially conservatives, think.
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What Would a Digital Sanctions Regime Relying on Malware Look Like?

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emptywheel
If an entity wanted to use malware to counter the hegemonic financial community's ability to impose financial sanctions, the NotPetya ransomware/wiper attack is what it might look like.
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When NSA Talks about Unintended Consequences, You Need to Ask a Follow-Up Question

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emptywheel
NSA doesn't want to be "boxed in" by any technically meaningful definition of the "abouts" collection that has purportedly been prohibited. That suggests they're still doing something that has the same effect as "abouts" collection.
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Confirmed: The FISA Court Is Less of a Rubber Stamp than Article III Courts

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emptywheel
In 2016, FISC denied .5% of all domestic warrant requests. Article III courts denied just .06%.
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[Photo: National Security Agency, Ft. Meade, MD via Wikimedia]

NSA's Unsatisfying Response to Rosemary Collyer's "Lack of Candor" Accusations

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emptywheel
The NSA denied Rosemary Collyer's accusation that it has an institutional lack of candor. If that's the case, then we're left with two years of spying on Americans that should have been avoided.
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The FBI's Standards for Ingesting Raw 702 Data

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emptywheel
In a rare FBI appearance at a 702 hearing, FBI's EAD for NSD, Carl Ghattas explained precisely what the standard is for obtaining raw data: a full investigation.
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The Willful FBI 702 Violation No One Admitted

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emptywheel
Witnesses discussing 702 like to pretend there have been no willful violations of Section 702. I don't think they can make that claim anymore.
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USA Freedom Act Booster Misses Opportunity to Note FISC Blew off USAF

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emptywheel
In a Section 702 hearing today, the Brennan Center's Liza Goitein tacitly sanctioned Rosemary Collyer's decision to expand back door searches to content she knew could include entirely domestic communications without appointing an amicus.
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In Defense of [Gulp] Mike Pompeo

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emptywheel
I'm no fan of Mike Pompeo. But I think criticisms of his comments about Putin in the Hugh Hewitt interview are misplaced.
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Are Trump's Associates Forgoing Lawyers because They Expect Pardons?

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emptywheel
Did Trump associates interview with the FBI without lawyers because they're arrogant or because they're expecting pardons?
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Obama Worried Trump Would Warn the Russians about Their Compounds ... Did They?

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emptywheel
In May, we learned Obama officials worried Trump officials might warn Russia their compounds were about to be raided. Today, CBS provides details that suggest that may have happened.
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The Complexities of Reality Winner's Case

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emptywheel
The government claims to have collected classified information beyond the document that Reality Winner leaked to The Intercept as part of its investigation.
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The Compartments in WaPo's Russian Hack Magnum Opus

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emptywheel
I'm as fascinated by the compartments described and silences in WaPo's grand opus on the Russian hack as I am by the abundant new details provided.
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In Opinion Mostly Rejecting Jeffrey Sterling Appeal, Fourth Circuit Criminalizes Unclassified Tips

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emptywheel
It's bad enough that the Fourth Circuit just upheld most of Jeffrey Sterling's convictions. But they did so in really troubling fashion.
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Penetrated: Today's Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing on Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Elections

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Rayne
Nothing in today's Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing nor the House Intelligence Committee hearing changed the fact the U.S. election system was penetrated last year. We should be very concerned.
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The Suspected Assasination of Gareth Williams and Shadow Brokers' Focus on SWIFT

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emptywheel
The inclusion of Gareth Williams among those deaths that US and UK spooks believe was a Russian assassination has interesting implications for Shadow Brokers' focus on SWIFT.
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