NSA to cut system administrators by 90 percent to limit data access

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

NSA to cut system administrators by 90 percent to limit data access

By Jonathan Allen
Thu Aug 8, 2013 8:58pm EDT

(Reuters) - The National Security Agency, hit by disclosures of classified data by former contractor Edward Snowden, said Thursday it intends to eliminate about 90 percent of its system administrators to reduce the number of people with access to secret information.

Keith Alexander, the director of the NSA, the U.S. spy agency charged with monitoring foreign electronic communications, told a cybersecurity conference in New York City that automating much of the work would improve security.

"What we're in the process of doing - not fast enough - is reducing our system administrators by about 90 percent," he said.

The remarks came as the agency is facing scrutiny after Snowden, who had been one of about 1,000 system administrators who help run the agency's networks, leaked classified details about surveillance programs to the press.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/09/us-usa-security-nsa-leaks-idUSBRE97801020130809

[Ed Suspicious]

1. The IT staff is not exactly the problem. The problem is the collection in the first place. Are they

simply feigning stupid?

[cantbeserious]

2. We Have Some Sensible Experts At DU - Maybe They Know

eom

[delrem]

5. Yes, they're feigning stupid. After all, data collection isn't the *problem* for them,

total data (and metadata, of course, for indexing) collection is their goal. And feigning stupid is their forte.

That's indisputable. So we should expect a lot of fake "fixes" and "inquiries" etc. to come, with all the most serious looking and sounding do-nothings at the helm, until the problem vanishes because we're totally accepting of it all - which, if comments on DU are any indication, is already current reality for a great number of Dems (to say nothing of Reps who fell in line even earlier, in the W. years).

We've got the making of a total jello society here. (I don't know what that means, exactly, but it sounds about right)

[dkf]

10. For us, the collection is the problem. For them being exposed is the problem.

Taking away their ability to spy on us is their problem. Being held accountable for their abuse of power is their problem.

[bemildred]

12. No, they really are this stupid. Look at them.

They completely believe their own bullshit. You can't get any stupider than that. If they had even a smidgen of modesty or circumspection we would not be having this discussion, because they have not over-reached like a 6 year old raiding the cookie jar on the theory that nobody would ever notice or care about what they were up to. It's magical thinking.

[PoliticAverse]

3. You can't stop them...

https://xkcd.com/705/

[bunnies]

4. This has one purpose.

Stopping leaks.

[leveymg]

6. It also has the effect of cutting NSA contracting costs after they increased 80% in the last decade.

Which is what I can only hope may be a beneficial side-effect of this whole affair.

[bunnies]

7. 800%?

Wow. Thats just absurd. But the jobs! Think of the jobs! How long until that howling begins?

[leveymg]

9. Too many zeros. My Xerox copier did it,I swear! ;-)

Probably defective malware. Actually, the NSA budget is a big national secret.

[limpyhobbler]

8. ^^Probably this

That seems to be the only thing they have shown any concern about.

[Downwinder]

11. You have 1,000 Sysadmins what do the other 25.000 do?