Comment Re:"Curses! Foiled again!" says NSA. (Score 1) 117
The NSA is an offensive organization, not a defensive one. That's it's mission.
That's according to you. Now according to the NSA their mission, from their Mission pagel:
"The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) leads the U.S. Government in cryptology that encompasses both Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Information Assurance (IA) products and services, and enables Computer Network Operations (CNO) in order to gain a decision advantage for the Nation and our allies under all circumstances."
https://www.nsa.gov/about/miss...
Offense is definitely a big part of there job. But right up there with SIGINT is IA (information assurance); so what is IA?
Well I could look in a dictionary but lets see what the NSA thinks it is instead... since they are the ones charged with doing it:
https://www.nsa.gov/ia/ia_bann...
NSA's Information Assurance Directorate delivers mission enhancing information assurance technologies, products and services that enable customers and clients to secure operational information and information systems.
Or to paraphrase: enable its customers (government and its departments, domestic corporations, and our allies) to secure their data and computer systems.*
That is ALSO there mission. They have been so busy with SIGINT that not only have they neglected IA, but they have ACTIVELY subverted and sabotaged it in the process.
*and I'm not just putting words into their mouths when I say their job is to protect our allies (vs spying on them) that's also from them:
"The NSA [...] encompasses both SIGINT and IA [...] in order to gain a decision advantage for the Nation and our allies under all circumstances."