Qaeda Goes Dark After a U.S. Slip (ABC leak damage)

The Sun ^ | Oct. 9, 2007 | Eli Lake

[jsh3180]

WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda's Internet communications system has suddenly gone dark to American intelligence after the leak of Osama bin Laden's September 11 speech inadvertently disclosed the fact that we had penetrated the enemy's system.

The intelligence blunder started with what appeared at the time as an American intelligence victory, namely that the federal government had intercepted, a full four days before it was to be aired, a video of Osama bin Laden's first appearance in three years in a video address marking the sixth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. On the morning of September 7, the Web site of ABC News posted excerpts from the speech.

But the disclosure from ABC and later other news organizations tipped off Qaeda's internal security division that the organization's Internet communications system, known among American intelligence analysts as Obelisk, was compromised. While intranets are usually based on servers in a discrete physical location, Obelisk is a series of sites all over the Web, often with fake names, in some cases sites that are not even known by their proprietors to have been hacked by Al Qaeda.

One intelligence officer who requested anonymity said in an interview last week that the intelligence community watched in real time the shutdown of the Obelisk system. America's Obelisk watchers even saw the order to shut down the system delivered from Qaeda's internal security to a team of technical workers in Malaysia. That was the last internal message America's intelligence community saw. "We saw the whole thing shut down because of this leak," the official said. "We lost an important keyhole into the enemy."

[Southack]

It’s true that our CIA has some traitors inside. It’s also true that our news media would gleefully harm our nation if it aided the fall of the GOP.

And some of that may even factor in to the article for this thread.

...but what is going unsaid is that by ordering all of their servers to go dark, that Al Qaeda revealed something about their organization: that they are centralized after all.

Prior to that order to turn off their servers, Al Qaeda wanted us to think that they maintained a diversified, decentralized cell structure for their organization.

Well, decentralized cells don’t all decide to turn off their servers at the same time.

Ergo, Al Qaeda isn’t as invulnerable as they’ve tried to lead us to believe. It turns out that they are centrally controlled after all...which means that if we kill their central control that we’ve killed them.

Take out the bunker in Berlin and the war ends.

[oldbrowser]

The CIA has been at odds with Bush since day one. Actually I think they were counterproductive to Clinton also, but he did not know or care.

[Southack]

"The CIA has been at odds with Bush since day one. Actually I think they were counterproductive to Clinton also, but he did not know or care."

That's true. The CIA completely missed India's 1997 nuclear tests on Clinton's watch. For that matter, they missed the fall of the Berlin Wall on Bush's watch prior to Clinton.

[xzins]

Pres. Bush’s reiteration the other day that all people’s worship the same God was a bunch of ignorant theofeely blather. I hold out the hope that he had some international diplomatic purpose in mouthing such tripe.

Now we’ve got another example of espionage targeted DIRECTLY against the US military effort in our war with Al Qaeda.

If someone doesn’t act as if we’re in a war, and go after these leaks, does that mean we are not in a war?

[DemEater]

How in the hell do you blame the media here? HOW did they get the tape in the first place? That’s the question. Of course they are going to air it. Who knows if they were even told not to. That’s like blaming a dog for eating a steak you put in front of him.

There was another leak in 2004 of the fact that the ISI had Al Q’s computer guy cooperating with them. Some moron from the admin. (can’t remember who), mentioned this little fact in an interview. Al Q read the interview and stopped working with the guy. It was a HUGE deal.

[ravingnutter]

NCTC comprises employees from partner organizations that include: Central Intelligence Agency; Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Investigation; Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security; and other entities that provide unique expertise such as the Departments of Energy, Treasury, Agriculture, Transportation, and Health and Human Services; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and the US Capitol Hill Police.

National Counterterrorism Center

So, yes, the leak still could have come from the CIA faction of this group.

[thinking]

ever hear of “disinformation”....

[George W. Bush]

Pres. Bush’s reiteration the other day that all people’s worship the same God was a bunch of ignorant theofeely blather. I hold out the hope that he had some international diplomatic purpose in mouthing such tripe.

I think that is what he believes. 'Christian' is just another flavor of a believer in a universal god.

I suppose it's good that he's limited himself to monotheism.

[George W. Bush]

If someone doesn’t act as if we’re in a war, and go after these leaks, does that mean we are not in a war?

Many of us thought (and still think) that Congress should have declared a war. Failing to do so allows the Dims to waffle around and for the media and their inside accomplices to do these kind of leaks with impunity.

All those laws that contain the phrase "in time of war" come into full effect when Congress declares a war though you might argue that those provisions apply to a presidentially-initiated war at least until the Congress assembles and votes (or fails to vote) a declaration of war. I think you'll see this issue of war status surface repeatedly as we see more WOT-related cases work their way through the courts.

[Kevmo]

She’s a firecracker. I wouldn’t doubt it if she were a freeper.

http://www.lauramansfield.com/j/default.asp

[AFPhys]

One of the biggest mistakes Bush made was not to immmediately fire all the Clinton cronies at the CIA. This should have been done on his first full day full HOUR in office.

Fixed it...