noch mehr...

 

Blogbat will be away for a few days, but when he returns he will discuss the matter of Osama bin Mohammed bin Laden, his connections with the Chechen separatist rebels in the former Soviet Union and how it is important for the West

 

-Blogbat

UPDATE

In my recent Blog, Making War with Lilliputians (and other giants), I stated that Libya was a conduit for Nuclear technology, rather than its intended destination.

Today Worldnet Daily published an article citing IAEA and other news sources that Libya has been secretly passing nuclear technology which originated in North Korea on to other countries. Furthermore, Pakistan and China are also mentioned as contributors to fledgling nuclear programs:

"The officials, who would not give details of the evidence, said Libya was a third-party channel of nuclear and missile technology and components from North Korea, Newsline reported.

Egypt previously had obtained technology directly from Pyongyang, officials said, but the U.S. blocked a shipment of missiles in 2001. Nevertheless, the House subcommittee on terrorism learned a year later Egypt received 24 No-Dong missile engines from North Korea.

'We are still trying to understand the network, to see if other countries have received the [weapons-related] technology, the weapons designs,' IAEA director-general Mohamed El Baradei, who did not cite Egypt, said during a visit to Libya Feb. 23. 'This is of course an important and urgent concern for us.'"

-Blogbat

UPDATE

ISSUES

 

 

Making War with Lilliputians (and other giants)

 

It is indeed doubtless that guerilla-cell tactics have become the adopted choice as the mode de jours for our enemies. It has proven a successful means of overcoming US supremacy as done in Viet-nam and on the first volley of the latest chapter as played out on the American east coast on September 11, 2001.

 

There is also little doubt (except perhaps among those of the Far Left in this country) that this chapter in US history is about our very survival not just as a nation and a people, but as individuals who happen to live in this land which stretches from sea to shining sea. The question remains (sadly and much to my dismay) whether we will fight it with all of our collective heart and soul, as our grandfathers did 60 years ago in WWII or if we think we have become so good that we can simply sit in our togas while making symbolic gestures with plenty of offense abroad making a good show, but very little defense at home with open borders and a rampant ACLU still running around loose in the barnyard, stirring up trouble for the farmer as the storm approaches.  And to make matters worse, we now have the threat of nuclear attack that is practically imminent: the terrorists want to, we are just really waiting for when the “want to” turns to “can”. While setting up radiological detection devices sounds “cool” to those who want to see something done, they run an intolerable risk of alerting us to the presence of such a device far too late to safely intercept it.

 

Where is the war on terror headed?

 

As springtime approaches, we all have many things on our minds beside the overly discussed War on Terror, which square-faced talking heads on television never tire of talking of in worthless detail, at length, ad nauseam. Don’t these people ever get out? We might wonder if they even notice the fresh grass and green leaves budding here in the northern hemisphere. Or for that matter the charming breeze which now once again caresses and feeds us, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of springtime flowers. Do these pasty pontificators ever stand outside and feel the rhythm around them, the nourishment of sunshine- the way of things? You don’t suppose they ever stand in the square as people come and go and wonder what normal living is like…I know I would be astonished if one were to find such a thing. I, like most rational people would much rather sit in the grass and watch the clouds roll by or go see a movie with some friends than delay the flow of life for such vain babblings as did Bush act enough or not act enough, did Clinton miss a chance or was he busy seizing other “opportunities”. As I have already stated, we are all sick of hearing about the disjointed affairs (no pun intended) of fat bureaucrats, since it is far too reminiscent of fat government orgies that were going on in Rome even as the barbarians had already broken the outer parameters and were imminently approaching. 

 

So I’ll just write a quick sketch of my impressions of world events (nothing major at all) and then I’ll go. Before you jump back and hiss at the true choice of topic in this blog like a vampire might at holy water, just know this is far from a dry recitation of the controvertible- it is instead a very wet opinion piece dripping with relevance (if not some wit and sarcasm) for easier digestion. This is not merely a blog intended as a collage of painfully dusty sources and such that more resemble someone’s collection of dead bugs. In other words, not another incredibly painful and arduous item found on campuses, Sunday morning talk shows or for instance the biblical book of Numbers. (I’m not sure if the previous biblical reference has already qualified me as a wacko or not.) Academia and talk shows are usually concerned with aimless policy for policy’s sake- it makes them feel smarter than they are, and helps them avoid the more dangerous waters of sticking one's neck out. One additional note regarding what you will be reading here, even though this is not a detailed blog (i.e. a blog that has been footnoted to death), you should rest assured much time has been invested in information-gathering regarding what will be discussed below. I leave it up to you to research the matter to your satisfaction. Thinking adults are in such short supply these days, after all.

 

So already I have managed to drag this out, haven’t I? The point of this blog is again perhaps to tell you how Blogbat thinks the War on Terror et cetera will develop in the coming years. So without any more tripe, below are my thoughts, as brief as possible, and conclusions on the matter, at no extra charge. It is for the purpose of getting you thinking and perhaps doing some investigating as well. If, after reading you come to the conclusion that I am wrong on a few if not many points, you’re in good company; I’d rather hope to be, too. Peeing in summertime Cheerios does not win one a lot of favor in times of war or of peace.

 

In a few years I think you will see this war heading into the annuls of history as one of the three great ones of human history (yeah, sure a lot of people have been saying this…and they all live somewhere in Georgia, right?), with far more at stake than we could have feared in the last two and certainly more than we currently accept is such at the hands of Islamic terrorists. But what a lot of people aren’t saying or suggesting is that this war, like the movie “The Crying Game,” will have a twist in the end that may seem to come for many of us from a far stranger than fiction source. But I am not the only one seeing this far ahead, there are a few “respectable” souls out there likewise commenting on this. But far more dryly . The well-spring and source of inspiration for the battle lying ahead can only be found expounded upon properly within the pages of the infamous historical hardcover, “The Black Book of Communism” and the horrors therein described. Sound crazy? Sure, but read on.

 

The Empire Strikes Back

 

First, one should ask why the war seems to us in so many ways a confusing, blurry bird. Our enemies seem almost nearly as difficult as our friends to define. So many strange shadows, it’s honestly hard to make any sense of its iterations until sometimes long after the fact. As if we were fighting against ghosts, we have been pursuing manifestations of symptoms, nailing down chairs, but as yet not exorcising the house. This is understandable, since most of us haven’t seen the big part of the puzzle yet. Part of which that the US be sent on a fool’s errand chasing after faceless Muslim extremists until the time was right and the appropriate interests were consolidated and fortified. A Communist plot afoot? No, not completely. Nor is it completely the two-faced EU or for that matter Muslim terrorists. There are definately different agendas at play in the Axis against which we are fighting, which happen to coincide in some of their goals, and perhaps in some instances consciously overlap. The fact that more than a few leaders in the radical movements were at some point trained and equipped by Leftist interests is only par for the course. Not to say that the Muslim extremists alone aren’t a dangerous enemy - indeed, they have proven to be this. But these are the saboteurs, not the torpedo. blogbat feels that at the point the afore-mentioned torpedo is made ready (if it is allowed to be) quite a few will be astonished as a phoenix of worldwide dimensions raises high its scarred, ugly head, strong and ready to, in the hopes of some, overwhelm America and her allies. Perhaps if we are lucky this won’t happen during the summertime seasons, bringing our plans of picnics and art exhibitions to ruin.

 

So you think this is utter rubbish, I know. You weren’t there when I was sharing with my close friends in 2000 and early 2001 that a major attack on the US and pursuant conflict was impending. Nor were you there when I shared with my friends after September 11 that the war begun would go through Afghanistan then Iraq, finding its way to the doorsteps China, Russia and their axis. That our friends would betray us or that Chinese intelligence officers were involved in the very planning of the 9/11 attacks (as claimed later by a high-ranking Chinese defector, as well as internal PLA and Chinese government documents and teaching materials).

 

I am not saying that Mr. China did it in the green room with a model airplane, but I will say they were a “contributor”. In fact, CIA documents mention several countries which have aided Bin Laden’s Al Queda network. A list which, if not blacked out for public scrutiny might raise quite a stir among likely voters. Of course, I understand we are trying to leverage many of them- the countries, that is. It is working to some degree in Pakistan for the time-being…I suppose. We, for instance let Pakistan’s leader General Pervez Musharraf off the hook for practically single-handedly guaranteeing that a nuclear holocaust killing millions is in the cards somewhere in the not too distant future in the middle east…or Europe…or in the Americas. But we will have Bin Laden…

 

Blogbat also thinks that activity in South- and Central America is very important right now. It will be brought to fruition soon, too. This is brilliant chess, friends. I just wish it weren’t. And the figs are ripe.

 

The irony is that the Islamists, who have loathed communism for its godless ways, have been duped into performing the ultimate fool’s errand. Naturally, these Islamists stand to lose as well, they just don’t know it.

 

 

So what do we know at present? It is known as a matter of public record that the giants China and Russia, who passed their technology on to Pakistan, India and Iran then saw Pakistan actively supply nuclear and deadly missile technology (some of which stolen from the US) to North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya and other axis powers (who in turn, it is reasonably assumed will further promote proliferation once they arrive at the capability), while at the same time pretending to negotiate their disarmament. So we have no doubt that nuclear proliferation was not accidental, but instead deliberate and calculated, though it is not completely having to do with us: it must be noted for proper understanding that while Russia and China may have signed an agreement or two against American “hegemony”, it is not all chocolates and roses between those two Asian superpowers. Russia and China may be on the same page with regard to more than a few things, but they are still two very big fish in a small (when you count just the other countries) Asian pond. An example of this is the fact that Pakistan and China both have boarder disputes with India, which has leaned more heavily on Russia for its support (and Blogbat thinks neither Musharraf or Vajpayee is his own man at the end of the day, either. They are prostitutes to the hurt of their peoples). Nevertheless, while some of the weapons proliferation may serve two purposes- both to deal with the balance of power in Asia and the matter of Washingtonian affairs, it cannot be disputed that with countries such as Syria, Libya, Iran and North Korea, it leaves things more dangerous for America and more advantageous for her stated common antagonists, Putin and Hu.)

 

We know that in the late 90’s and in 2000-early 2001 even just months prior to the Chinese attack on an American recon plane over international waters that Chinese generals and leaders alike declared "war with the US (to be) inevitable", and that according to some credible sources, a plan was hatched to use Islamic terrorists piloting planes as weapons in a terrorist attack on America’s financial and political centers in such a way that would prevent a direct and focused response. It is further known that the communist Chinese made it an open aim be ready for direct conflict with the US by 2008 or so. 

 

We are most likely also aware that during the 90’s while al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad were building worldwide cells and training camps, China and Russia were performing intensive intelligence gathering and building vital strategic ties with a decidedly offensive posture towards US interests, as well as beginning a program of modernization and quelling internal dissidence. In fact, espionage activity has increased, not decreased since the much-heralded end of the Cold War.

 

 

What of Taiwan? China still thoroughly intends to move in on it, removing the international blemish of their dishonor and humiliation that is Taipei. What will happen to them because of it? Nothing. Probably not even a UN resolution (so even less than what Saddam got from the UN). It will look a little like a rebellious Hong Kong to the rest of the world. Americans have no choice but to let it go. It is a sad thing, a tragic thing to be sure. Much suffering will come about as a result of it, but we will likely have no options here. We sealed the fate of Taiwan decades ago. I have said this for several years now and I am not changing my tune any time soon. Taiwan will feel we have betrayed them in the end, but we will have our own problems and no recourse. Better yet for China if they time it to the period just before the US general elections in order to stir fears of economic upheavals stateside.

 

 

And Now?

 

It is probably safe to interpret, as so many already have, the purpose for the timing of those bombs in Spain, especially in light of the political aftermath and statements released by al Qaeda. To pull Spain out of our column by insuring the election of the Communist-socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and a swift policy change as a result, was not the child of a wild-eyed Islamic automaton in a green and black bandana. And most certainly, the calculation did not disappoint. It shows the level of intelligent planning with which this war is being carried out by the other side. Any strategist worth his salt cannot help but abstractly appreciate it in the same sense a geneticist might appreciate the complexities of a bold new virus, while at the same time trying to reverse engineer it in order to eventually defeat it. At the same time, it could also be argued that this is simply a case of one team simply not showing up for the game.

 

And then there are the players who have swapped jerseys during half-time. And I am not speaking of Spain here, but so many of the other countries as well who have defected, if you will and now play for the cause of Terror, be it islamo-fascist or Communist in nature. We saw the beginnings of this when the UN kicked us off the human rights commission, replacing us with a radical dictatorship. But be warned, we will also most likely be betrayed by some of our closest allies. We will find new ones, I am sure, but don’t be shocked when it happens. Also watch to see who begins pulling investments out of US companies and such in the near future—birds – as well as bats - usually like to hide before the storm

 

 

So what interests me of late in Libya’s role in a possible future radiological attack somewhere? I have a few things to discuss here, since I still believe they are doing everything but playing straight with us. More insanity from Blogbat, you ask. Have I not read the news the past few months, that Libya gave up their nuclear program and even Blair is chummy with them now? Surely the world watched as they shipped out the last of their dismantled nuclear technology under watch of the IAEA, the UN and other fantastic organizations. Even the US got a look-see in the peephole. This Blogbat, he is crazy, I know, I know. So how about those Libyans? Now they clearly want to play nice, right? I don’t buy it. The truth may be only complicating in its digestion ante bellum. Suppose with me Libya the conduit- not ever the perpetrator- has decided to “came clean” for ignoble purposes. Now looking squeaky-clean before the world prior to some future “event” after covering up those nasty tracks left when said “dirty work” was undergoing. Simply put, let’s hypothesize that technology passed through its borders to be used against Allied targets in what would amount to a “cGy-laundering” scheme.

 

Sometimes when we deal with governments we forget we are dealing with people. And I don’t recall hearing that Muammar al-Qaddafi was “Born Again” in a roadside conversion during any of his trips to Damascus. I’m not wagering any family heirlooms on that one. Conversely, I would probably be more inclined to bet the farm in the other direction. The argument in favor of Libya is that it has succomed to pressure from the west. Maybe, and I hope so. Hopefully for our sakes however, we and our allies (such that they are) have despite all reports to the contrary, kept a keen intel eye on these particular Lilliputians.

 

As for the rest of the Lilliputians scattered about in various cesspools around the globe (or hiding behind other giants), it is perhaps wise that Gulliver begins to be less gullible in his travels and understands in a more earnest way that which is truly afoot, if you will. But giants usually are slow to come around.

 

That is why Blogbat thinks, to be appropriately and solemnly blunt, it’s going to become literally a hell of a war. This time we know that simply “pulling out” is not an option: we cannot pull out of our own country. We will need to bear down and take care of business as our grandfathers and their forefathers did. If we do this, we will also be able to pass our freedom and traditions down as also they did.

 

So stay tuned for the latest revision of human kind's magnum opus of everything we know being brought to war, and don’t forget to bring along some tea and cake.

 

-Blogbat

 

ISSUES

 

Blogbats Newseye Updated 20:59 (02:59 UTC)- Latest Blog 02.Mar.2004

 

SHOCKING VIDEO: Stormtroopers' Rape of Human Rights in China

- Read related article by Blogbat

 

SHOT OF THE DAY

 

Remember that ticket you gave me...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on this picture as a symbol of one of the unquestionable truths of foreign policy, let's consider another historical event of record:

 

Clinton (and Richard Clarke) picked the police to deal with terrorists.

Bush chose to use the military.

 

I wonder why...

 

WELL, enough of that. on to why you are REALLY reading this- for the truism you can take with you everywhere- Now for what you really need to remember about the above-pic...

 

Lesson for Police: When at bird-sanctuaries and landing strips, be sure look

up before stepping out into the frey.

 

Lesson for military: be sure to always place a donut shop on BOTH sides of

the runway

 

Lesson for national security: You can never underestimate the intelligence

of law-enforcement

 

Lesson for criminals and wellfare wife-beaters out there: If the now-pedestrian donut-man depicted above can nab you- even on numerous occasions, it explains a lot, doesn't it?

 

 

- by Blogbat

 

 

 

 Report: Teresa Heinz Kerry says Wal-Mart Destroying Communities

So far unclear the effect on Kerry's campaign from an angry 1.5 million Wal-Mart employees (many of whom are presumed to actually be legal U.S. citizens not locked in the back of the store) or the tens of millions of regular Wal-Mart shoppers. Also unclear is the effect of her comments on the sale of Heinz Ketchup in those Wal-Mart stores. Though Teresa is said to have a million US$ in Wal-Mart stock, she appeared to be unencumbered in making her pronouncements. According to Drudgereport.com, many voters could therefore become fairly uncertain about the conviction of her statements (or those of her Husband, Drew, er I mean John) due to her own investments. The People Speak: Read related forum

 

BlogBreak^®

HOWARD THE DEAN’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE TRIED, FAILED TO STEAL BLOGBAT’S NAME

Ranks third in Google search after your Blogbat’s site of Xanga fame AAARRGGGHHH!! 

 

Rumsfeld Says Israel Owns 82 Nukes

 

Mobile Alabama Father, Daughter Accused of Incest

“Couple” arrested numerous times. Daughter is also father’s ex-wife…

 

Swiss Investigate Russian Revenge in Air Traffic Murder

 

FATF Drops Ukraine from Black List 

 

Windows XP ... Reloaded

XP’s “Second Edition” to hit stores later this year

 

 

"Saddam of the North" Both Holdout on Freedom and Lacking Control

 

 

...and then there was gas. Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday after gas lines from Russian monopoly company Gazprom were turned off. Included were the Transnafta lines passing gas, if you will, through Belarus enroute to several EU countries. Gazprom accuses Belarusians of siphoning from those Transnafta pipelines. Lukashenko's government is among one of the last publicly hard-line Communist holdouts in Eastern Europe. Yet the dictator maintains cozy relations with Moscow. And most in the west do not know this man. See below.

- Blogbat

 

 

 

 

RELATED: 

 

Profile: Europe's Last Dictator?

 

Russia's Gazprom Resumes Gas Shipments to Belarus

 

Russia Resumes Gas Exports to Poland Via Belarus

 

Belarus Cracks Down on Churches

 

One Source: Political Opposition Disappears in Belarus

 

Moscow’s Luzhkov And Lukashenko Sign Cooperation Agreements

 

 

 

 

Election Mania!

Check out Blogbat's Democrat Candidate Demystifier Tool

  

 

 

OPINION & REVIEWS

 

BLOGBAT OPINES...

10.01.04 Issues Report - Are Private Interests Running the Public Airwaves?

 

14.02.04 Notes from the Garden Journal - Blogbat Hither and Thither, More on the SHOCKING VIDEO: Human Rights in China, Civil Hypocrisy, NEW FEATURE: Lost in Translation (Fun!)

 

28.01.04 DAILY POO article by BLOGBAT Village of the Damned- The Big Iraqi Payoff

 

Blogbat reviews the new Battlestar Galactica miniseries incarnation on the Sci-Fi Network ... More Blogbat reviews

 

 

COMMENTARY: 15 Things I Don't Understand about the Mideast Peace Process
by Rabbi Ephraim Shore, Aish.com  (props to Mishlei who first posted this)

 

 

 

Past BlogBreak^® Stories

Some highlighted stories which Blogbat has broken...

 

 

OTHER PREVIOUS STORIES

 

12.02.04 Hamas and Hezbollah, Alongside Al-Qaida Step up Activities in Latin America

 

RELATED: 

12.02.04 Enraged Arafat Orders All-out Terror

11.02.04 Photos of USS Cole Recovery

08.02.04 U.S. soccer team hears Osama chants in Mexico

 

 

26.01.04 Pentagon Cancels Internet Voting System
Pentagon finally comes to senses weeks after the news was first published it hoped to use dangerous internet voting scheme

 

15.01.04 Internet Voting Will Spell Hacker Coupe d’état

Security advisory panel says home computers too insecure, too tempting. Pentagon:  “…we’re going to use it”

12.01.04 Evidence Cited of Russian Arms in Iraq

US says it can prove Moscow was illegally supplying arms that were used against Americans

***READ MORE IN BLOGBAT’S 1. September 2003 Article that was one of the first on it***

 

RELATED:

BlogBreak: Friday’s Moscow Times Calls Churchill a War Criminal

Blogbat unearths for the West an interesting, if not somewhat myopic Russian article

 

12.01.04 Disney to Phase-Out Hand-Drawn in Favor of Computer Animation 

Plan that will cut 250 jobs signals end of era  

 

12.01.04 Palm Beach, Florida Man Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Neighbor’s Dog

Crime took place in same town where election ballot controversy gained notoriety

 

07.01.04 Italian Il Giornale Newspaper: Al Qaeda Threatens to Nuke New York on February 2

Al Qaeda-associated website now blocked by FBI

 

07.01.04 Arab Translators Cheered Sept. 11   
FBI whistleblower: 'Questions of loyalty' taint interpretation of al-Qaida chatter

 

07.01.04 Bush Set to Announce Legalization Plan   
Proposal would give legitimacy to foreign workers in country illegally

 

07.01.04 Hewlett Packard’s Corporate Policy of Intolerance

9th Circuit says worker harmed Hewlett-Packard's 'diversity' effort by not being religiously uniform

 

04.01.04 Chinese Caught Trying to Bug Israeli Embassy

 

21.12.03 Time for the 2003 Aish.com "Dishonest Reporting Awards!"

Find out who the wieners and losers are

 

21.12.03 Bomb Threat, Suspicious Packages in D.C.

Debka File reports telephone threat made to metro. FBI handled packages, Friday

05.12.03 Terrorist School in Germany Linked to Saudis

05.12.03 Passer-by Ignores Dying Man

 

04.12.03 Rising Star in Israeli Political Horizon Points to EU

Up-and-coming Israeli leader seeks to orient policy away from US

 

02.12.03 German News Sources Report EU Military Trade Sanctions Lifting for China, BBC and other outlets remain silent:

  

 

 

 

EU Removes Arms Embargo with China: “Im Zeichen des guten Geschäfts“ (German)

 

Schröder Calls For End To Arms Embargo Against China (English)

 

Related Stories

Chinese Military Ready for "Necessary" Casualties Over Taiwan

Blogbat finds it noteworthy that the bloodiest of American wars have begun with an island...

 

 

 

 

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

tests a new Chinese-made "Red Flag"

car during his visit to China. 

 

24.11.03 Al Qaeda: Countdown for “Biggest Operation Yet Inside America”

More Hype? According to the report, Al Qaeda promises to cut off the US from its troops in the Middle East by a series of coordinated operations Stateside in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

Sponsor a Child through 

COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL Today

 

 

 

 

Blogbatopia! Blogbat Article Archives & More

Now includes Archives of Notes from the Garden Journal, a "There's More-ism" section, Philosophical Notes and New Word of the Day sections and some other splendorosities! Old Articles never die, they just go to heaven: Blogbatopia. You will also find the occasional article at Blogbatopia that you won't find here.

REMEMBER KIDS: IT'S BETTER THAN LOG,

IT'S BLOG!  - Blogbat

 

http://www.pro-life.net/sanger/woman_in.htm

 

*** See below this box for the latest articles and other blog additions ***

 

Sins of Emission...

 

"Honk if you're a rich Gore supporter with a car that pollutes!" This is what this guy should have had on his car, but all the Gore and Clinton bumper stickers left no room for that. Far from just your ordinary diesel-on-a-cold-day experience, those with the misfortune of being backed up near this stinker were instead overcome with the bad fumes of a car desperately in need of a tune-up. Much the same way, it seems these people will ignore polluters in totalitarian regimes they support and criticize the US that has one of the cleanest standards on the planet.It is in socialist countries one finds the most egregious offenders with regard to poisoning the air and water. As for this photo-op, it need not be said my fondest regret of having not at my disposal a better resolution camara at the time of this picture. I would have gotten a bit closer, but my lungs wouldn't let me. The big irony of what this car represents is that if you ask any good Liberal what some of the top things they think are fundemental to their view of domestic policy would be, they will tell you it's all about the environment and class-envy. So then what is it we see here? A stark-idling hypocrite? Heaven forbid! As we know from the Ten Commandments in Alabama to the handling of illegal gay weddings in San Fran, the Libs always stand by their publicly stated principles....

- by BlogCam™

ISSUES

 

Securing Information and Assets in the Digital Age

 

 

Protection, privacy, progress. All hallmarks of growth. Until the digital age the privacy of confidential information was protected inside buildings with lock and key and perhaps further measures depending on the sensitivity of the information. If you or I were to venture to acquire that information we would have only three options. We could forcibly take the information despite physical measures put in place to prevent it, we could use deception in order to gain the necessary tools with which to access the information or we could employ a combination of the first two. Needless to say, it was an undertaking of a potentially very dangerous nature and one left to a tiny field of “professionals” of varying degrees. To further discourage intrusions, effective laws existed that would be used to further punish the intruder after his capture. Progress was assured because companies and individuals knew that when their personal information, accounts, histories, trade secrets were safely guarded- it could literally take an army to gain an unauthorized peek.

 

Enter the digital age

 

What is the state of security in today’s business, government and education? And what of the records they keep about your ailments, course grades, financial accounts, credit, journals, clients, projects and so forth. Whether you know it or not, none of these may be safe. Think of all of the places where information about you exists. Your doctor’s office. You start to perspire, “does he have a firewall?”. Then you think about your last visit to your bank online. How easy that was. But your son had downloaded a virus last week and while you thought you caught it in time, did it leave a back door open? Where hackers secretly recording your every move as you typed in your social security number or bank account number? Or is one of the banking execs visiting porn sites while at work, unwittingly installing several trojans and sniffers onto the server where his roaming profile is stored. You go back to school for your masters degree and find out your undergraduate GPA has been changed. You then discover that your school's computers don’t even sit behind a single firewall (an alarming reality we will tackle later on in this blog). What do you do now? Naturally this all takes on a bigger than life role when the matter of national security comes into the picture. One quickly discovers that the same scenarios that could be playing out in your world are also at play in government and military agencies.

 

Many of the things I have either encountered or heard about simply confound me. How is it that common sense is so lacking that no one would think to lock the door in a city full of rioters with would-be intrutders walking by right in front of your house? I have read countless articles, talked to friends with first-hand experience and had such encounters myself that all but leave me speechless by the sheer incompetence of many IT managers who are being compensated fairly nicely for little or no real effective expertise in return. Or at the other end by the capable IT managers who are literally hogtied by company policies and budgets to the very extent of rendering their jobs useless. Below is a cross-section of past results along with some possible likely future targets when either of these administrative arrangements exists in any company.

 

-          University of Texas servers are electronically broken into; hackers take tens of thousands of social security numbers leaving students, employees and alumni open to identity theft and fraud.

-          US Army hospital’s computers hacked, social security numbers, confidential medical records, names and addresses of thousands of US soldiers taken; reason as yet unclear.

-          Civilian Hospitals and their patients fair about the same. Such was the case with the University of Washington Medical Center one summer in 2000.

-          One well-known university that brags on its website of being a member of an elite group of schools utilizing what’s known as Internet2, which is basically a super-high-speed network shared by 107 other schools operates many of its systems connected to the World Wide Web without a firewall of any kind, according to a source within the IT Department of that school. The lack of a firewall of any kind potentially exposes the confidential records of its students and faculty. With Desktop nodes accessible to the internet, hackers need only to crack one machine, insert data mining, key logging, packet sniffer and dropper Trojans and all is free for the viewing and ready to be remotely controlled.

-          Non-Profit organizations with no real IT security or user-education policy in place. Both small churches and synagogues and large charity-focused groups are often equally apathetic. Recently a friend who worked for a respected financial freedom organization had their email address hijacked to send a self-propagating virus. This virus, as many do, included files containing confidential information and possibly even information about the finances of its members, as well as left a port open for a later backdoor attack on and invasion of the network. The ironic part was that I had expressed interest in offering my help to this organization some time ago and had they taken me up on this, my no-nonsense approach would have helped in preventing such disasters as this one. Non-profit organizations at large are at times at greater risk because many, especially those that are politically centered have many who are passionately opposed to their goals and aims. Sometimes blackmail becomes a tempting option.

-          Major Department of Defense contractors running networks with no antivirus software, no policies to block dangerous or security-risk websites, applications or protocols…nothing at all much different than that which the average home user has: a system waiting for a hacker to come along and discover it. The difference of course is the interest level of the first target vs. the second to that hacker.

-          Foreign embassies running networks connected directly to a DSL modem with no firewall, no administrative passwords, no antivirus software and nobody checking logs, setting policies or noticing…

 

These institutions and organizations often consider being plagued by the latest virus as just another big annoyance, while in reality it may just be the door through which their trade secrets are being quietly stolen or altered or deleted. Sometimes proprietary data makes its way along to competitors, professional scam artists and blackmailers, enemy states or other third parties.

 

As an earlier article at CNN.com pointed out, the infected machine can become a literal surveillance tool against its user. Logging keystrokes and reading e-mail is only the beginning. Once control of a system is gained, it can be lights, camera, and action for the show you don’t want to be aired. Microphones (most computers have them) and computer web-cameras are turned on their unsuspecting query collecting every word and action that takes place nearby.

 

So what is lacking today in the IT industry? Certainly companies are demanding the best and brightest. But do they always know what that animal really looks like? When you hear of positions available for major corporations, hospitals and universities, you see the requirements: Computer Science degree, 5 or more years experience at a senior IT position, MCSE, CCNA, NOVELL, knowledge of IIS, UNIX, C#, etc. None but the best and the brightest, right?  Not always. More than a few IT professionals, from large-scale enterprise admins (who hail from some of the largest insurance, medical, electronics, auto, banking, government (domestic and foreign), educational institutions in the game), to Exchange server gurus busying themselves with getting everything working in the real world of mixed environments, down to the mom-and-pop level dashboard lizards who oversee four or five machines and a candy bar have similar stories. Some of these with whom I have come into contact over the years (whose businesses will remain unnamed here) left more than a bit to be desired when it came to the basic knowledge tools of good administration. Many of them while skilled and well-rooted in the functionality of their positions were somewhat to very apathetic to potential threats and lacked the proper troubleshooting skills to anticipate, investigate and prevent threats (as well as day to day system and network problems). In short, they were not able to think three-dimensionally, much to the hurt of their charge. It was not that most of them couldn’t, it was because it had never been taught to them or encouraged.

 

 

Certainly, Microsoft Windows is far from a secure operating system. But then, so is a poorly configured Linux box. And matters have only gotten worse, now that Windows has been open-sourced, if you will, due to parts of its code being formally released into the wild by someone. Those who have that code have a decisive advantage over the administrator who can only patch holes when Microsoft acknowledges them- which sometimes takes awhile for both to happen. In fact, every time a major network aware virus strikes, we get a de facto census of all the servers that went unpatched for months after one was made available, left open to be exploited in the latest infection, costing their own as well as other companies dearly. As it is with the case of anti-pirating techniques used today, Windows security only manages to be an annoyance to the average user, fugacious to the administrator and a joke to the hacker or pirate. Without any doubt hacking continues on as it did well before the well-publicized “Security Initiatives” of Microsoft.

 

As for businesses and agencies that wish to be secure, it remains up to them to decide how seriously they are willing to take the idea of data security and the privacy of their members…not to mention the possible liability for being negligent. All too often those who do the hiring only look for acronyms, not proven competence, mental agility or common sense. And once in the door, any truly qualified admin then may find that he is in an environment where apathy reigns supreme and the paramount thing is not security, but to never rock the boat. He may be restricted by a budget that is among the first to receive cuts and a general attitude shared by many within the company that his advice on securing network machines is more of a nuisance than a godsend. And it may well be expected he should instead concentrate on only fixing things when they visibly break. If the admin pushes too hard, he may lose his job. Yet dispite users' perceptions the fact remains: though hacking into a network database is exactly the same as picking a lock on a door or walking over and pulling folders out of a filing cabinet. There is no broken glass upon each intrusion, no splintered door or picked lock. No wailing siren. And for some reason many organizations cannot grasp how often and extremely easily it is accomplished. For the IT guy, it becomes a matter of little reward and a great deal of liability that could potentially far outweigh that reward.

 

So who exactly is to blame then for the cost society has to pay in revenue, lives and reputations? The argument could well be made it is the incompetent IT manager, who failed to recognize basic threats and patch holes known to exist in software for long periods of time. The fact is, we far too long have put our faith in these systems to act alone in the protection of our information when in honest reality, they were never intended to be the sole line of defense. They were designed to be used in conjunction with the common sense and discretion of a seasoned system administrator. And unfortunately for home users, this is true for them as well, since what they use are essentially the same systems. Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition are at their core (and most other ways) exactly the same in function and flaw. Indeed, they are the same old geeky and end-user-cumbersome Windows NT boxes of yesteryear that have recently been painted in bright colors for consumer approval. But this does not diminish the fact they still must be managed in ways that truly require an IT professional in order to run safely and correctly. Until this changes, consumers are better off doing their finances with pen and calculator and their purchases over the phone. Or in the meantime (from a usability standpoint at least), buying a Mac. And for the IT pro, the task of trying to keep track of curious and unruly users can prove daunting. Many admins admittedly spend so much time at this, they find little time to plan for and address developing outside threats which may or may not actually appear- that is, the ones the desktop users haven't invited.

 

I once had an international non-profit client whose president’s nefarious nocturnal internet activities were compromising the network at the office every time he brought his laptop to work. Whenever something new would show on the radar screen such a virus, strange network traffic or stability issues, it would invariably point back to his laptop. Upon reading the logs or even taking a rather short glance at the desktop, one had a pretty educated guess what was going on. But this fellow didn’t like to be embarrassed as the reason the office manager or the secretaries or other employees couldn’t get their work done. Even though the details of why were never shared, the unavoidable fact that something on his computer was always causing ripples throughout the network was ever present…and the fact that someone knew why made him far too nervous. My services were soon phased out. At first, he just sort of kept his laptop out of reach by assigning frivolous tasks whenever he was in the office in order to keep me at a safe distance or by trimming my visits during those times. Eventually after one last major discovery that essentially was on the larger scale of things, I had to go bye-bye. Needless to say however, they were calling me back within just a couple of months begging me to help them with their once more infected network and the floods of spam they were now receiving. I remember asking them, “is your antivirus software up to date?” “How do we do that?”, came the response. They proceeded to admit to committing several security no-no’s and not having their systems protected and up to date. I simply reminded them of the obvious need for such security and let the I-told-you-so’s remain unsaid. A sentiment no doubt shared by the other three consultants who preceeded me. Incidentally, it turns out that this company had a lot to lose, too. They were also using illegal copies of operating systems and other software that, if knowledge of it fell into the hands of a hacker with the will to blackmail, could spell mess with a capital M for this group. As explained with the words of this organization's president, "better to ask for forgiveness than get permission". Makes one wonder if those whose financial information is in the database feel the same way that he does... This is one example of what many who handle your private information do every day: play with fire. In such cases it is not a matter of how but when.

 

Biology of Russian Roulette

 

There often exists a misnomer that connecting two computers is like having two people shake hands. But in point of fact, connecting your computer to a network is really a lot more like sharing a drink, a kiss…or perhaps even more intimate contact with someone. When computers connect, they do so in a way that would make any pair of young lovers swoon…or blush. The two simply “become one flesh” - they are literally sharing cyber-fluids with each other. If the one is infected or controlled by an operator with less-than-honorable intentions, you can see just how easily the other is likely to come down with something. It would be in such a way be easy to spread that infection to any that come into contact with it as well as compromise its security in other ways.

 

Already in the United States alone, literally scores of thousands of social security numbers, names, addresses, medical records, student records, financial records, credit card numbers and the like have been stolen during a time in which identity theft has become the fastest growing crime perpetrated against Americans and during a time when national security has begun to mean knowing the person you’re dealing with is the person they claim to be. The question is, for what purpose will stolen information be used? To fund terrorists, to blackmail decision-makers, to threaten the very lives of the families of soldiers fighting overseas? Even something as insignificant to everyone else as your grandmothers medical records, ergo her social security number, ergo her home lost due to bogus debt created when a faceless thug bought a new sports car in her name ends up affecting society in the end. When we lose security, we lose productivity. And what if the afore-mentioned thug votes in her stead, as well? This could certainly make things interesting. From what we know, there have already been numerous severe intrusions into our military information systems. And it is the amateurs that we only get to hear about!

 

Is it really that Rome is being sacked and no one even knows it? Well, it is arguably clear that we can no longer hesitate in securing our records from those who would pilfer them for gain- we have far too much to lose, and it is going quickly. The time for sensibly dealing with this is now. As decision makers both in and outside of IT, we cannot wait for the ultimate OS patch and pass responsibility for our losses onto Microsoft or any other vendor in cases where we aren't doing our half of the security equation.

 

As borrowed (and compressed) from phathookups.com, some noteworthy examples of what resulted when security was too lax. How secure is your data? Well, if it’s something such as patient records or military secrets, store them on a server off the network and under physical lock and key. If they are personal records, don't keep them on the same computer your children use for always-on internet gaming. This is the only way you will truly be secure, it doesn’t matter what any self-proclaimed guru tells you. This, along with regularly patching your networked systems, monitoring system and network activity, setting strict policies and placing pressure on 3^rd party vendors to comply with the latest OS service packs and patches will save a world of pain in the end, and just might help out your career, too. The more valuable your data, the more at risk it is. And if you find that hard to believe, just read some of the brow-raising accounts below…

 

 

                    Bill Wall's list of hacker incidents*

 

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1961.12.00  Caltech hackers hacked the cards at a football game scoreboard with U of Washington

1981.05.30  Mitnick gets into Pac Bell's COSMOS phone center; takes passwords

1982.00.00  Mitnick (Condor) cracks Pacific Telephone system and TRW; destroys data

1983.00.00  Mitnick arrested for gaining illegal access to the ARPAnet & Pentagon

1984.00.00  Kevin Poulsen (Dark Dante) arrested for breaking into the ARPAnet

1986.00.00  Chaos Computer Club cracks German government computer that had info about Chernobyl

1987.07.05  hackers got secret access codes from Sprint

1987.09.18  hacker accesses AT&T computers, stealing $1 million worth of s/w

1987.09.28  hackers from Brooklyn penetrate MILNET

1987.11.23  Chaos Computer Club hacks NASA's SPAN network

1988.09.00  "Prophet" cracks BellSouth AIMSX computer network

1988.11.23  hacker cracks USAF Sperry 1160 computer in San Antonio

1989.06.21  hacker cracks USAF satellite-positioning system

1989.07.22  Fry Guy cracks into MacDonald's mainframe; also stole credit cards

1990.03.07  Denver hacker cracks NASA computer at Huntsville and Greenbelt

1990.04.00  hackers from Netherlands penetrated DoD sites

1991.03.00  hacker penetrates NASA, NIH, Bureau of Land Mgt, BBN

1991.04.21  Dutch hackers from Eindhoven break into US military computers

1992.11.00  Mitnick cracks into California Dept of Motor Vehicles

1992.12.00  hacker arrested for penetrating NASA, NIH, BBN, etc

1993.00.00  food scientist gained access to General Mills mainframe computers

1993.08.00  Justin Petersen arrested for stealing computer access equipment

1993.10.28  Randal Schwartz uses Crack at Intel to crack passwords

1994.02.00  hacker installs network sniffer and grabbed 100,000 names and passwords

1994.02.00  Texas Racing Commission computer hacked into

1994.02.01  hacker spoofed a Dartmouth professor using email to cancel tests

1994.03.23  hackers broke into Rome Lab, Griffiss AFB from UK; used sniffer

1994.06.13  Citibank hacked by Vladimir Levin; $10 million in illegal transfers

1994.07.14  French student Damien Doligez cracks 40-bit RC4 encryption

1994.07.21  hackers crack into the Pentagon, altering and erasing records

1994.08.00  Justin Petersen electronically steals $150k from Heller Financial

1994.09.00  Netcom's credit card database was on-line an accessible to the unauthorized

1994.10.00  Michael Smyth, a regional manager at Pillsbury, fired due to intercepted email

1994.10.12  computer engineer cracks Marks & Spencer security file containing PIN numbers

1994.11.01  hacker cracks FBI's conference-calling system; made $250,000 in calls

1994.12.00  US Naval Academy computer system hacked; sniffer programs installed

1995.01.00  Chris Lamprecht (Minor Threat) incarcerated for hacking; banned from Internet

1995.01.27  Mitnick cracks into the Well; puts Shimomura's files there and Netcom credit card numbers

1995.02.15  Mitnick captured; broke into NORAD, PacBell, CA DMV, etc; had 20,000 credit card numbers

1995.04.00  Journalist David Pogue's AOL account deleted by hackers

1995.05.05  Chris Lamprecht (Minor Threat) becomes 1st person banned from Internet

1995.06.02  hackers using Vanderbilt computers hack Air Force site - caught

1995.07.00  crackers tapped into Navy computer system and gained access to French and Allied data

1995.07.00  Julio Ardita of Argentina cracked into US military computers, Harvard, NASA

1995.08.15  several hackers crack Netscape 40-bit SSL; Damien Doligez used 120 computers

1995.09.11  Golle Cushing (Alpha Bits) arrested for selling credit card and cell phone info

1995.09.16  Berkeley students cracked Tower Records/Video computers; $20,000 charged

1995.09.17  Hackers discover weakness in Netscape random number generator; SSL cracked

1995.12.28  Julio Ardita arrested in Argentina for hacking into Harvard

1996.01.15  Swedish computer hacker hacks into 911 phone system in FL

1996.01.22  Chaos taps cleartext transmission of banking information

1996.01.25  Russian pleads guilty of participating in Citibank wire fraud

1996.02.15  Hackers altered UK talking bus stops for use to the blind

1996.02.27  BerkshireNet in MA hacked; data erased and system shut down

1996.03.05  whitehouse.gov flooded with forged email; denial of service

1996.04.19  NYPD voice-mail system hacked

1996.04.27  Cambridge U hacked; confidential files broken into

1996.05.15  Datastream Cowboy from UK arrested for breaking into Rome Labs

1996.06.15  Two UK hackers charged with intruding into Lockheed computers

1996.06.20  14-year old arrested for using fraudulent credit card numbers

1996.06.25  hackers penetrate the public library network of a state

1996.07.09  Ontario group gets into computers at a base in VA

1996.07.10  HS students crack a drink manufacturer's computer voice-mail system

1996.08.00  Fort Bragg soldier compromised military computer system; distributed passwords

1996.08.04  US hackers crack computers of the European parliament and commission

1996.09.06  hackers shut down PANIX, New York's Public Access Networks; SYN attack

1996.09.17  computer files with names of 4,000 AIDS patients taken in Florida

1996.09.20  cancelbot attacks Usenet; 25,000 messages wiped out

1996.10.15  disgruntled employee wipes out all computer files at Digital Technologies Group

1996.10.22  hackers crack Czech banks; steal $2 million

1996.10.23  Fort Bragg, NC paratrooper hacked U.S. Army systems and gave passwords to China

1996.11.17  hackers removed songs from computers at U2's Dublin studio

1996.11.21  Danish Research group get into computers at TX base

1996.11.22  NY city workers falsified computer records in largest tax fraud in NY

1996.11.26  Web site that provided news about Belarus leader was destroyed

1996.11.29  Disgruntled computer technician brings down Reuters trading net in Hong Kong

1996.12.20  6 Danish hackers sentenced for attacking Pentagon computers

1996.12.23  Zhangyi Liu arrested in Dayton for cracking into WPAFB computers; had passwords

1997.01.06  Croatians intrude into computers at Anderson AFB, Guam

1997.01.15  hacker sentenced to prison for reprogramming Taco Bell computers

1997.01.29  phf hack from Belgium to TX base

1997.02.03  hackers spoof Eastern Avionics web page to grab credit card numbers

1997.02.05  German Chaos group uses ActiveX and Quicken to withdraw money

1997.03.09  NCAA WWW site hacked; pages changed by 14-year old

1997.03.12  IP floods of SMTP causes DoS at base in VA

1997.03.16  The Well hit by hackers.  Passwords stolen, files deleted, trojans planted

1997.04.27  British Conservative Party got hacked

1997.05.23  Carlos Salgado grabs 100,000 credit card numbers from San Diego; used a sniffer

1997.05.29  hacker hit LAPD

1997.06.00  Netcom voice-mail hacked by "Mr Nobody"

1997.06.03  Delaware law enforcement officers get teenager cracking NASA

1997.06.18  hackers in CO crack RSA's 56-bit DES encryption

1997.07.11  ESPN and nba.com (starwave) shut down after hacker emails shoppers credit info

1997.07.14  Danish computer guy finds hole in Netscape; asks for big reward money

1997.07.15  Canadian Security Intelligence Service got hacked

1997.08.01  Long Island group added a Trojan horse to hijack users' modem

1997.08.08  George Mason Univ students hacked their way into the Univ computers

1997.08.10  Cyper Promotions servers hacked

1997.08.16  Experian (TRW credit bureau) Internet allowed wrong credit reports

1997.09.25  Florida State School of Criminalogy NT server got hacked

1997.09.26  US Geological Survey NT server got hacked

1997.09.27  methodisthealth.com NT server got hacked

1997.10.01  hacker spoof SANS Security Digest newsletter; hacks into ClarkNet ISP

1997.10.06  hacker breaks into Japan's Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT)

1997.10.14  Yale e-mail account servers hacked; sniffer used

1997.10.19  RSA's RC5 56-bit encryption key cracked by Bovine effort

1997.10.31  Eugene Kashpureff arrested; redirected the NSI web page to his Alternic

 

 

And these were just freelancers…

 

 

-Blogbat

 

 

*Abridged from original list, emphasis and corrections added. Original text can be found at the following web address:  http://fux0r.phathookups.com/textfiles/hack/hacker.timeline.txt. Reprinted for educational purposes only.

 

UPDATE  An additional note: Since this blog was first written, the above-linked site to phathookups.com was hacked with all pages deleted except for the one linked above. That page instead was defaced. Currently there is no indication as to when the original site will be restored.

 

 

ISSUES