Looking back at this 2016 article from The Washington Post, one really shouldn’t blame them for their optimism regarding WhatsApp's "end-to-end encrypted" capabilities. The encryption (e.g. security) behind WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, is actually quite good at its core. But what couldn’t… [Read more…]
Op-Ed: This Washington Post article about encrypted communications did not age well
Looking back at this 2016 article from The Washington Post, one really shouldn’t blame them for their optimism regarding WhatsApp's "end-to-end encrypted" capabilities. The encryption (e.g. security) behind WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, is actually quite good at its core. But what couldn’t have been so easily predicted by the Post is what I’ll call the “Facebook effect.” What … [Read more…]
‘A real mess’: Madigan Army Medical Center’s behavioral health meltdown
Multiple sources at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) are painting a frightening picture of the ongoing meltdown of the behavioral health and substance-dependency programs at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. “We are at 35 percent of our allotted staffing,” one therapist told NEWSREP. “The work environment here is so toxic now people are seeking jobs elsewhere and leaving as fast … [Read more…]
Op-Ed: Bottom line up front regarding prosecutor spying on SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s attorneys and Navy Times reporter
On May 13th the Navy Times published a blockbuster story: Military prosecutors looking to put highly decorated Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s head on a pike for alleged war crimes were caught red-handed cyber-spying on his defense team and on a Navy Times reporter. According to the Times, a bugged email, sent by prosecutor Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak, was sent to 13 defense lawyers … [Read more…]
The Pic of the Day: Master Chief Brashear, the U.S. Navy’s first African American master diver
Inside the Brashear Conference Center at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, stand a life-size photo of the late Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Carl Maxie Brashear and the diving suit he wore during U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage training in 1948. Brashear is a pioneer in Navy history, becoming the first African American master diver and master chief. He … [Read more…]
Re-saving ‘Private Ryan:’ Legendary war movie back in theaters
This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. On the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, American, British, and Canadian forces stormed five beaches in Normandy, in northern France, in what was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany’s domination of Europe. To commemorate the anniversary, 600 movie theaters around the country will be screening Steven Spielberg’s … [Read more…]
Surprise, surprise: Amazon Alexa’s eavesdropping worse than you thought
Since the inception of smart-speaker assistants such as Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and others, consumers have to live with the fact that by using these products and services, their data is being collected. How much, though? This is a frequent topic of debate. Some experts say the sheer bandwidth and storage required would make it impractical for the tech … [Read more…]
‘COMSEC’ excerpt: The last text you sent was using technology from the 1970s. How secure is texting?
Editors note: This is an excerpt from the book, "COMSEC: Off-the-Grid Communications Strategies for Privacy Enthusiasts, Journalists, Politicians, Crooks, and the Average Joe." CHAPTER 1 (CONTINUED): THE INSECURITY OF SMS AND STANDARD VOICE CALLING Cellular telephone calls and SMS messages are both insecure and non-private. Your calls are accessible to the CSP. The content … [Read more…]
Michael Hayden says Russians were behind Jade Helm conspiracy theories
Former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden recently made an appearance on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” where he commented that conspiracy theories surrounding Special Operations Command's Jade Helm training exercise were stirred up by Russian influence agents. Jade Helm was an unconventional warfare training exercise run across the southwestern portion of America by the U.S. … [Read more…]
‘COMSEC’ excerpt: How unsecure is your Smartphone? Learn the science behind the vulnerabilities
Editors note: This is an excerpt from the book, "COMSEC: Off-the-Grid Communications Strategies for Privacy Enthusiasts, Journalists, Politicians, Crooks, and the Average Joe." CHAPTER 1: THE INSECURITIES OF PHONES If you purchased this book, it is very likely that you already know why you need it. What you may not realize is the full extent to which you need it. All of … [Read more…]
No, the CIA did not attack North Korea’s embassy in Spain
Much hand-wringing and melodrama has surrounded the broad daylight break-in that happened at the North Korean embassy in Spain on February 22nd. Adrian Hong Chang and former U.S. Marine Christopher Ahn are accused of breaking into the embassy, holding several North Koreans hostage, and stealing a tranche of computer hard drives and documents. The alleged culprits left a trail … [Read more…]
Op-Ed: The European Council president is worried about tech giants ruling the world. Here’s what you can do to fight them.
In a Reuters article from May 1, 2019, European Council President Donald Tusk warned of the rising power of tech giants such as Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. According to Reuters, “In the East, we see the rise of those capable of controlling everyone’s behavior, and in the West we’ve seen the rise of an uncontrolled, spontaneous empire,” Tusk said in reference to the … [Read more…]
Op-Ed: Will South Korean soap operas bring democracy to the North?
A recent article confirmed to me something I was told about by a Special Forces sergeant major who once worked in Special Forces Detachment Korea. Today, people living in North Korea know what life is like in South Korea. In previous decades, North Koreans had been so brainwashed, they actually thought they were the lucky ones, living the good life while people in the South … [Read more…]