U.S. Fears Edward Snowden May Defect to China: Sources

[flamingdem]

U.S. intelligence officials on the trail of rogue contractor Edward Snowden are now treating the National Security Agency leak case as a possible foreign espionage matter, raising fears that the 29-year-old computer whiz may be attempting to defect to China with a trove of America's most sensitive secrets, according to three U.S. officials.

"I think there is a real concern about that," a senior official familiar with the case told ABC News on Thursday. Another law enforcement official said it was a "very legitimate" worry.

In an interview Wednesday with Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Snowden said his country "had been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and [in China] for years."

Those remarks alarmed intelligence officials, who considered those statements as much of a betrayal as his alleged leaking of highly classified files on the NSA's vast surveillance program to two newspapers last week, the senior official said.

http://gma.yahoo.com/u-fears-edward-snowden-may-defect-china-sources-131931617--abc-news-topstories.html

[Laelth]

1. I am sure they do.

Here's why:

Like safecrackers listening to the click of tumblers through a stethoscope, the “vulnerability researchers” use an extensive array of digital tools to search for hidden weaknesses in commonly used programs and systems, such as Windows and Internet Explorer. And since no one else has ever discovered these unseen cracks, the manufacturers have never developed patches for them.

Thus, in the parlance of the trade, these vulnerabilities are known as “zero-day exploits,” because it has been zero days since they have been uncovered and fixed. They are the Achilles’ heel of the security business, says a former senior intelligence official involved with cyberwarfare. Those seeking to break into networks and computers are willing to pay millions of dollars to obtain them.

We have spent billions finding weakness in all kinds of computer programs that can be exploited. Because we have not exploited those weaknesses yet, the developers who produced that software have not yet patched the programs. They remain vulnerable, and the NSA is just waiting (keeping that software vulnerable) so that we can attack our enemies when (and if) we need to. Snowden (or another leaker) might be able to sell or give away all the holes we spent years discovering. That would severely curtail our cyberwarfare capabilities and would represent a waste of billions of dollars.

This, I assume, is why we punish whistleblowers and leakers so heinously these days.

-Laelth

[Laelth]

2. Link to the essay from which that excerpt was taken.

Here: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/06/general-keith-alexander-cyberwar/all/

-Laelth

[flamingdem]

9. verrry interesting

thanks!

[onehandle]

3. China will send his ass back. They'll probably set him up to be 'caught' in Hong Kong.

China does not want any of this to interfere with their business.

[backscatter712]

16. He's put the U.S. between a rock and a hard place.

Here's the genius of Snowden's decision to go to Hong Kong.

If Snowden asks for asylum, and the U.S. charges him and demands extradition, China's going to use this to thoroughly embarrass the U.S., especially after their criticism of China's human rights abuses. They'll certainly drag the fight out and make it very public, so they can crow about American hypocrisy.

If the U.S. lets the matter drop, it'll be an acknowledgment that Snowden didn't know anything that China doesn't already know (and I suspect that's the case), meaning they're not protecting these secrets from foreign powers, they're putting the wool over the eyes of the American people.

It's a shit sandwich for the American Stasi, and the Chinese government's there to enjoy the show.

[bossy22]

4. so a guy who seems to be troubled by the idea of domestic spying

is going to defect to a country that is the poster child for it? Something seems a bit fishy to me.

There is a lot more to this story than has been released.

[railsback]

5. It certainly is getting more bizarre

But not having all the details won't stop the hero-worship whistleblower bandwagon from rolling… until the wheels fall off.

[bossy22]

7. yep

IMHO i think we will find out that money was involved in this whole thing. Some of the statements being made are just too bizarre (the praising of the chinese court systems- which are internationally known to be some of the most corrupt in the world). I find it strange that he talks about foreign spying as well by the U.S. which is completely different than the ethical issues of domestic spying.

I really wouldn't be surprised if this whole issue ends up looking like the Robert Hanssen case.

[uponit7771]

10. +1

[Sunlei]

6. china would love to pick his brain, mostly from his CIA days.

by the way before he goes missing, who the heck gave a high school drop-out a cushie CIA job and then a very well paying job at boze.? He must know someone with connections.

And the money to fly to and live in hong kong, that is not a cheap place to hotel or fly to.

[bossy22]

8. truthfully- from what it looks like he sounds like a natural genius

the CIA and other intelligence agencies have been known to recruit people like that- it serves as a good cover for the employee. Who would suspect that the "idiot" high school dropout next door was actually working for the CIA?

[flamingdem]

11. Yes. He had something they wanted

On msnbc right now they discussed an NSA bigwig going in civilian clothes to a hacker convention to urge them to come to work for them.

So they know these people have the skills, it's a right of passage for nerds or something.

But since the old timers understand so little I would guess that Snowden knew how to say what they wanted to hear and "polish" his resume.

[backscatter712]

17. I suspect Snowden doesn't know anything that China doesn't already know. n/t

[LittleBlue]

12. This is what happens when you treat whistleblowers like Manning

The whistleblowers feel like their only alternative is to defect.

Not a tough decision, really. Live out life rich in China/Russia as a defector, or go back and spend it in a medieval dungeon until death.

[arely staircase]

13. in order to live rich in those places one would have to give secrets to their governments

you ok with that?

[LittleBlue]

15. Put yourself in his position

His natural life lived in solitary confinement, or leaking classified intel.

How many have a strong enough patriotism to choose the former?

A smart leader does not put himself in this position. Snowden should have been offered a deal before it ever got to this point. Prosecuting him was never worth giving up what he knew.

[arely staircase]

18. so he thinks the us governmet snooping is so bad he is willing to help even worse governments?

that is if he does.

that isn't logical except in a 100 percent self-serving way.

its like helping a serial killer to foil a car thief.

[flamingdem]

14. He could have managed it differently

He didn't have to get his name involved. I wonder if Greenwald or someone else gave him poor advice.

If this wasn't for money and he wanted this to be his life statement it would be more convincing if he wasn't being sheltered by the Chinese.

In China he may be killed because he's a irritant to US China relations and the Chinese don't want him snooping around. This is what he garnered from his actions and choices.

[randome]

19. Good God.

Obama expanded Whistle-blower protections and procedures. Manning, like Snowden, could have taken that route instead of dumping data to the media.

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[LittleBlue]

20. Coulda woulda shoulda

From a practical standpoint, would it be better to offer him a pardon in exchange for coming home and turning over everything he's got? I think so. But the government is too prideful, we'll threaten him straight into the arms of Chinese or Russian intel. And he'll spill everything.

A desperate man takes desperate measures. You don't back him into a corner like this.

[Downtown Hound]

21. That would serve them right. I hope he does. n/t