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China’s Hack Just Wrecked American Espionage
The Daily Beast ^ | 15 Jun 2015 | John Schindler

Posted on 06/16/2015 6:55:09 AM PDT by Rockitz

It's tough enough to be an undercover spy in the age of the Internet. China's hack of American personnel files just made it much, much harder.

The mega-hack of the Office of Personnel Management continues to get worse for Washington. Revelations of a second, even deeper intrusion into OPM servers bring distressing news that Pentagon employees, including intelligence personnel, are among the millions of Americans whose personal and security data have been compromised.

As The Daily Beast reported, this hack constitutes a disaster for Washington's counterintelligence operatives. Armed with very private information about the personal lives of millions of security clearance holders, foreign intelligence services can blackmail and coerce vulnerable officials. To make matters worse, foreign spies can use data purloined from OPM background investigations to head American mole-hunters off at the pass. For Beltway counterspies, the OPM breach will take decades to set right.

But there's an even more serious aspect of this compromise: the threat it poses to American intelligence operations abroad, particularly to officers serving under various false identities, or "covers," overseas. The Intelligence Community employs myriad cover mechanisms to protect the true identity of its spies posted outside the United States. Cover protects our officers and allows them to conduct their secret work without drawing as much attention to themselves. While many intelligence officers pose as diplomats, that is only one option, and some covers are deeper than others.

(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government
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To: minnesota_bound

I remember Mr. Hillary selling the technology for MIRVing missiles to China.


41 posted on 06/16/2015 10:08:32 AM PDT by arthurus (It's true!)
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To: dware
I hope it ruins many of them.

That's very short sighted.

42 posted on 06/16/2015 10:19:11 AM PDT by SunTzuWu
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To: Red Badger

Interesting; thanks.


43 posted on 06/16/2015 10:24:21 AM PDT by riverdawg
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To: SunTzuWu
That's very short sighted.

You're right. I shoulda said I hope it ruins them ALL. Jackboot licking thugs anyhow.

44 posted on 06/16/2015 10:26:41 AM PDT by dware (Yeah, so? What are you going to do about it?)
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To: Future Snake Eater

Still waiting for you to enlighten me on how I don’t know what I’m talking about. But you’ve likely been sworn to secrecy, even if that means keeping important info about what are government is doing from the taxpaying Americans such as myself who fund it! I don’t think so. Only jackboot statist thugs hold secrets from the American public.


45 posted on 06/16/2015 10:28:26 AM PDT by dware (Yeah, so? What are you going to do about it?)
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To: Rockitz

Let me guess, China is not as stupid and doesn’t connect personal government employee records to the net?


46 posted on 06/16/2015 10:28:50 AM PDT by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: WMarshal

More likely we are dealing with blowback from the revelation that the US government was spying on every country on the planet. Atlas is shrugging.


47 posted on 06/16/2015 11:37:04 AM PDT by justa-hairyape (The user name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
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To: dware
Only jackboot statist thugs hold secrets from the American public.

Yep. Only them.

48 posted on 06/16/2015 11:49:04 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater (CrossFit.com)
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