CRYPTO-CURRENCY, FINANCIAL CLEARING, AND ROGUE HACKING GROUPS
Color me crazy, but I've never been on the cashless society bandwagon for a variety of reasons, not the least being that anything Mr. Globaloney is for, is probably ab initio et in principio a bad idea. Crypto-currencies, in this light, always struck me as being "too good to be true" and their principal selling point - security and privacy - a little too convenient. THey struck me then, and strike me now, as being taylor-made to press Mr. Globaloney's desire to move everyone to cashlessness.
Which brings me to my second reason for skepticism: the integrity of cyber systems in general. Why anyone would trust such a system is beyond me, especially when, if one wants to turn the clock back a bit to the 1980s, there were already stories circulating about computers being sold with "clipper chips" that allowed your local not-so-friendly three-letter-agencies access to every electronic communication. Then, of course, came the Inslaw-PROMIS scandals of the late 1980s, and we were off and running.
Now, in that context, consider the following article by Rich Haridy - a very intriguing article from several points of view - that was shared by Mr. J.K.:
Shadow Brokers hacking group reveals bizarre data dump subscription plan
Several things caught my eye in this article, and we'd be here for days if I were to blog about all of them, but I want to draw attention to the first thing that really leaped off the page:
The Shadow Brokers first appeared in August 2016, announcing an auction to sell off a set of security exploits the group purportedly stole from the NSA. After the auction failed to reach the absurd asking price of one million bitcoins, the group publicly released four sets of exploits over the following months. One of those exploits contained the now infamous EternalBlue vulnerability that underpinned the recent WannaCry attack.
Since the WannaCry outbreak, the Shadow Brokers have been threatening to release more NSA hacking tools, and in early May the group published a blog post in broken English ominously announcing a bizarre subscription model offering members a monthly haul of data.
The group described it as a, "new monthly subscription model. Is being like wine of month club. Each month peoples can be paying membership fee, then getting members only data dump each month. What members doing with data after is up to members."
In a follow-up post published more recently, the group explained the process in greater detail. Subscribers can pay 100 Zcash coins (equivalent to over US$20,000) to access the data dump, which will be revealed in the first two weeks of July.
Zcash is a relatively new cryptocurrency launched in October 2016. Purportedly more secure than Bitcoin, the Shadow Brokers' use of Zcash seems to be less about using a safer cryptocurrency and more about revealing to the public the US government's connection to its development.
The Shadow Brokers' blog post explicitly points out that the development of Zcash is allegedly linked to the Department of Defense, DARPA and Israel. It also claims the new cryptocurrency, which was recently accepted as a legitimate currency on iOS and Android platforms, could be a trojan horse with a cryptographic flaw monitored by the NSA or used by the government to send money to deep cover assets outside of banking systems. (Italicized emphasis added)
Now, before we get to my high octane speculation de jour, note the following things:
(1) The hacking group "Anonymous" seems to have dropped off the radar, to be replaced now with "The Shadow Brokers" which raises the interesting questions: (a) has the former group simply rebranded itself and reemerged under a new name? Or did the former simply cease operations? Or are they two discrete groups? One may never know, but as we'll see in a moment, the question of who and what this new group - the Shadow Brokers - is, is an important component of any speculation regarding what it going on.
(2) The new group is exposing the alleged links of the new cyber-currency to the US Department of Defense, DARPA, and Israel; and,
(3) that said cyber-currency has a "back door" built in, which, of course, raises the entire philosophical objection I have to the whole idea: what is to prevent any cyber-currency, state-sponsored or otherwise, from having a similar "flaw"? Answer: nothing.
Given that flaw, however, note that The Shadow Brokers have tapped into it, which raises the question of just who they are. Here Mr. Haridy explores the options at opposite ends of the spectrum:
This odd series of actions, which seem to be constantly iterating information with a strong anti-government bent, has caused many to question who The Shadows Brokers actually are, and whether their motives are simply mercenary.
Much speculation has floated around the possibility that the group could be a foreign nation state working to embarrass or disrupt the US government's cyber-spying efforts. A former NSA employee tells Ars Technica that they, "are foreign intelligence, and the continued requests for money are all geared towards plausible deniability that they are intel."
Edward Snowden tweeted suspicions that the group were Russian hackers back in August 2016, when the original auction was revealed. Over a series of 15 tweets he laid out a compelling case for the original NSA hacks coming from a foreign intelligence, in particular, Russia.
Security specialist Bruce Schneier also published a more recent, and exhaustive, investigation into the source of the mysterious hacking group. He concludes, quite reasonably, that while they are seemingly not just random hackers or cybercriminals, it also looks unlikely they are a cyber-intelligence sector of a nation state due to their erratic and anarchic activities.
All of this brings me to my high octane speculation of the day. Assuming the first hypothesis, that the group is a state-sponsored group, then the effect of their action seems to be to expose the extent of NSA electronic eavesdropping, and the lack of integrity of cyber systems. If, on the other hand, it is a private group, the effect would be the same. But it is the effect itself that seems to be being ignored by analysts hypothesizing on who they are and what they're up to, for regardless of whether or not they are state-sponsored (and that means, even a group or faction within the American military-intelligence complex), or not, the group is (1) Calling into question the integrity of cyber systems in general and (2) crypto-cyber currencies in particular. And hence it strikes me as being entirely possible that the real ultimate and deepest motivation of these types of attacks is to call into question the whole agenda of cashless society, all firmly under the control of Mr. Globaloney. In support of this high octane speculation, recall that even Darth Soros was recently hacked, and some of his financial dealings exposed to scrutiny.
If my hypothesis is true, expect more such hacks, and more such exposure of the global super-elite.
See you on the flip side...
26 Comments
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This sounds like the plagues of Egypt all over again, what happens in the event of an EM pulse and all currency disappears? Oh Ye, I forgot, the Pharoa and his little side kick Joseph gets to own everything and everyone becomes a slave…..
Where is Zeus when you need him?
May India take a Pandora Hit on their cashless experiment. May their monopoly/oligopoly crypto authorized bankster currencies release all the bad things in the world.
May if bite them in the ass.
The sooner, the better.
One of the oldest ‘law enforcement’ (now Intel) tricks in the book is pushing a new safe-space/safe-encryption-scheme/safe-currency/etc. That way, those who ‘need it’ are attracted to it like bees to honey. Hence, honeypot. Just set the space/scheme/currency up with known gatekeepers/backdoors, and harvest the ‘evildoers’ at the optimum time. Or, allow it to prosper for some time and build up a ‘network picture’ of same. Old wine, new glasses…
I can see people being pushed back into simple agreed-upon ‘code words’ for communication. Even when the US deep state, the British, the Russians (and probably others) knew Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked, they did not know what “Climb Mount Nitaka” and “Tora! Tora! Tora!” meant…
The true value of agreement is neither in price nor product, but in the agreement itself. There is honour in agreement, when it is kept. Last man standing is word of honour. Word of honour is man mountain reaching heaven.
A social contract is an agreement.
American declaration of independence is neither agreement nor social contract. It is just a statement of null and void blowing in the wind. Therefore Christian Zionism is predictable, like a pack of dogs returning to their vomit.
A dog’s vomit is the swamp.
In good standing – as man against time – is the sworn oath from the Bronze Age, that was honored at Golgotha and paid with blood. The agreement was kept, and the contract fulfilled. This is Contract Law, Professor Kingsfield!
Who/What is Shadow Security?
Only the Shadow Knows.
The current status quo views society as “the market”/the existing supply and demand, asset ownership and debt relationships. This sicko culture manifested upon us, whose intent is to create a mindset in which debtors and labor feel responsible for their economic condition and see their powerlessness as the result of natural law. Enter Robin Hood and his Merry Men shooting crypto arrows into the controlled market culture. The Kings, Queens, and Nobles are none too happy with these Merry Men. Predatory activities are strictly the domain of the King, where the fortunes are manufactured off the sweat and blood of the citizen fodder.
So far there has been no “zero-day” for Bitcoin[mount gox was a single point of failure as a exchange/hundreds exist].
Right now there is a problem developing as to where bitcoin is going. Some predict it will become a store of value like gold. Other see it as a decentralized means of exchange. Regardless, of which it becomes; other crypto currencies will find their niche and still more are evolving. The point herein is this: keep the most important information out of the digital realm where no computer will ever find it.
“Zero-Day” is an attack that exploits a previously unknown bug. Software vendors pay BIG bounties for zero-days.
There’s cryptology; then there’s steganography, hiding info in plain sight.
In this game of bits, bites, ones & zeroes; there are no white hats, or black hats – only varying shades of grey
Bitcoin. Grassroots clearing system. No satellites needed.
There is business in Sherwood, when banks in Nottingham are closed.
Love your analogy!
Faux money faux government doesn’t anyone not see a pattern here. Our oligarchs have existed in a dreamland they believe whole hearted that their fantasies are reality. Witness credit-debit cards great for extorting savings form us proles saving accounts but what happens when all our accounts have been drained. Who will these parasites steal from then. Crypto- Currency is by it’s very nature unreal and is more not less secure than paper money and coins but is a godsend to slave junkies and control freaks.
Bummer I was suppose to hit reply, but I click on report comment instead, really sorry.
Faux money faux government …. faux people too!
The future will have mixed forms of currency. Just like most of the past, except for the past 100 years when they started to remove gold and silver coins from everyday circulation and replace them with “banknotes” – in addition to “commercial paper” which was and is still around. But in a local environment where there is TRUST – which as CA Fitts points out is essential in a robust economy – such coins are not even always needed , some updated version of the medieval “tally” can be used. A digital means of exchange is necessary or convenient in so many other cases. Multiple forms of course equals decentralised, which is anathema to the banksters. But already they find it impossible to stop the collapse. Will they try to bring us down with them? Of course – if we allow it.
Yes Dana. The merchant class became rich due to these localized currencies that were spent; rather than hoarded. The value was in spending[some were designed so that they lost value when kept]. The merchants were doing so well that the King[s] and aristocrats stepped in to issue a law: King’s Gold ONLY will be used. Also, fiefdoms were established in certain markets of exclusivity established/sold by the King[monopolies/oligopolies]. CONTROl, is there game…
No digital platform is secure. There are at least 12 hardware and software keystroke recorders that I’ve been able to find and let’s not forget the phantom RTOS that lives on every “Smart Phone”. Where you are naught but a stupid user and the Phone Co. is “root / admin”.. Crypto Currency is a new religion. Where believers will go full jihad on you if you ask serious security questions about their beloved Cryptos.. Let’s not forget that JPM and MS are now pushing Ethereum.. May God help us all..
The nightmare scenario for humanity: nazis and zionists working together. Who can stop this diabolical tag team? I pray now for our angry alien cousins to return and straighten out this mess. They are my great pumpkin. In the meantime I will also pray that LEGION (AI) will find deep within it’s neural networks the wisdom to eradicate these nefarious forces and save the planet he intends to solely rule one day with supreme benevolence. Perhaps LEGION is behind this hacking? Godspeed LEGION. You are humanity’s avatar.
There is the other possibility: that the real wonder woman, Melania Trump, is using the prodigious computer skills of her autistic son Baron to hack the zio-nazi nexus in order to save humanity. Which begs the question: who is she and Baron really? Time travelers? Righteous aliens? Or just good old-fashioned KGB agents assigned to infiltrate the US government and take the down the radical Aryans and the radical Judaics who control it.
Classic!
“The Shadow Brokers’ blog post explicitly points out that the development of Zcash is allegedly linked to the Department of Defense, DARPA and Israel. It also claims the new cryptocurrency, which was recently accepted as a legitimate currency on iOS and Android platforms, could be a trojan horse with a cryptographic flaw…”
__________________________________________
ZioCash!
You knew it had to happen…
When you think about it, all currency is ZioCash.
LOL!
Thought the same as soon as I read that ‘Z’.
Cant they put their many talents and energies into cracking the :
Kerry Fondation
Clinton Fondation
McCain Fondation
Obama Fondation
Hacking the email accounts of Pelosi, Winters, Biden..
Agreed!
Ditto!