So how about this all powerful NSA? Why didn't they catch the Sony hack?

[Kablooie]

It seems they are not designed to protect America.
Something like the Sony hack is totally outside of their purview.

They are designed to spy on us, not protect us.

[NobodyHere]

1. How do you know that they have done nothing?

For good or ill, the NSA is going to be secretive of anything it does.

[MADem]

2. Or maybe .... the call was coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To riff on an old horror movie theme....

Maybe it wasn't the "North Koreans" at all, but someone who was pissed off at SONY. A Snowden in the SONY empire, if you will.

I read in that released material that Alex Trebek had words with them, someone needs to check his hard drives !!!!

"I'll take computer hackers for a thousand, Alex!"

[pacalo]

4. *wiping off keyboard*

[Egnever]

3. Hmm wouldn't they be spying on a foreign corporation if they did?

[snot]

5. Please . . . let's not be silly.

Their natural enemy is not N. Korea; it's us.

(N. Korea is the enemy of their enemy: we the people.)

[Donald Ian Rankin]

8. The incongruity between the title and contents of your post is striking. N.T.

[joshcryer]

6. They couldn't catch Heartbleed.

They have lost any sense of protecting national security. Assuming they ever had it.

[leftofcool]

9. Heartbleed was caught by a major security company

It is the NSA's job only if it effects government web sites and interests. The NSA can't control hackers and malware in private companies.

[joshcryer]

10. Heartbleed affected everyone.

OpenSSL was nearly ubiquitous. The NSA's job is to assure security for the country, not just federal level, they should've caught it.

[leftofcool]

7. Actually, it is Sony's job to protect their sites and emails from hackers

Sony was either using the wrong security company or the wrong software. The NSA does not protect private companies from hackers, it isn't their job. Sony bears some responsibility in this for not keeping their own interests safe.

[Downwinder]

11. NSA and associated contractors have the expertise to execute the hack.

If they didn't know what Snowden was doing, do they know what others are doing?

[951-Riverside]

12. or maybe the Sony hacker is the NSA

...or one of the multiple private firms they hand troves on intelligence data off to.



You don't take 100TB of data without someone seeing.

This is one of the downsides of having a surveillance state where everything is recorded, logged and monitored. It makes it easier for outsiders to spy on YOU.

[Blue_Tires]

13. I know this fact has been drowned out after almost two years of sensationalism

but the NSA isn't the all-conquering behemoth everyone wants to conveniently portray it as...

[True Blue Door]

14. Whether they protect us or not is no justification for what they do.

So don't pose your criticism in those terms.