Obama and McCain systems were hacked during election run-up
Newsweek is publishing a seven-part "Secrets of the 2008 Campaign" series, which includes reports that the computer networks of both the Obama and McCain campaigns were compromised in a complex systems attack before the election. A "serious amount of files" were downloaded from the Obama campaign's network, according to the piece. Here's the link to "Hackers and Spending Sprees." Snip:
At the Obama headquarters in midsummer, technology experts detected what they initially thought was a computer virus—a case of "phishing," a form of hacking often employed to steal passwords or credit-card numbers. But by the next day, both the FBI and the Secret Service came to the campaign with an ominous warning: "You have a problem way bigger than what you understand," an agent told Obama's team. "You have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off your system." The following day, Obama campaign chief David Plouffe heard from White House chief of staff Josh Bolten, to the same effect: "You have a real problem ... and you have to deal with it." The Feds told Obama's aides in late August that the McCain campaign's computer system had been similarly compromised. A top McCain official confirmed to NEWSWEEK that the campaign's computer system had been hacked and that the FBI had become involved.And in related news: Palin's couture shopping spree was apparently far more extensive and expensive than previously reported, and she apparently has a compulsive spending problem. Snip:Officials at the FBI and the White House told the Obama campaign that they believed a foreign entity or organization sought to gather information on the evolution of both camps' policy positions—information that might be useful in negotiations with a future administration. The Feds assured the Obama team that it had not been hacked by its political opponents. (Obama technical experts later speculated that the hackers were Russian or Chinese.) A security firm retained by the Obama campaign took steps to secure its computer system and end the intrusion. White House and FBI officials had no comment earlier this week.
One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards.Secrets of the 2008 Campaign: Highlights (Newsweek)
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So some systems intended for public relations to have been more open than people expected them to be? Big deal.
And while Republican graft is pathetic, it's hard to understand why it is news. However, it does remind me to ask:
Which Senate Democrats support a 100 day suspension of the filibuster, and which do not?
makes a nice cover for the NSA "updating" its files.
What "computer system" exactly?
So, first of all... just from the context, totally incorrect use of the term "phishing".
Second... the FBI knew the Obama and McCain systems were hacked before Obama and McCain's people did? What, were the FBI involved in it or something?
Even more interesting is the second part of the linked article about a shopping spree of Sarah Palin.
I wish Obama would dissolve the FBI, let the federal investigations be maintained by the state level bureaus. think of all the funding he'd free up!
Yeah, Palin's just your regular Joe Six Pack all right. Middle class Americans are always going on spending sprees at Neiman Marcus and Saks, aren't they?
Oh, and Governor, just one more thing: love your suit!
I suggest reading the rest of the article, the Secrets of the Campaign part. I think it's more interesting, or at least humorous (Palin walked out of the shower in a towel! Amazing!)
Actually I'm more interested in the interaction (or lack thereof) between McCain and Palin. They really didn't vet her, did they? I really liked McCain's concession speech, but on reflection, I decided that he seemed pretty pissed off and rightfully so. And did anyone else notice that Palin was crying during his speech. I'm just curious. That being said, Jessie Jackson was crying during Obama's speech. Is there anyone who didn't cry.
@4
Quite possible. Think about how the FBI would have known what information was stolen.
So some systems intended for public relations to have been more open than people expected them to be? Big deal.
Where do you get that the only affected systems were "intended for public relations"? You think McCain and Obama had their websites and that's it?
There were warnings of this.... They were ignored...
It reminds me of a past situation where warnings were ignored.
Like the radar tech warning about planes seen heading towards Pearl Harbor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCR-270_radar#Use_of_radar_at_Pearl_Harbor
She's a real Neiman Marxist
(this joke shamelessly stolen from the California Nurses Association campaign)
I agree with Saragorn. The rest of the article only gets better. I liked this: 'An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast,"'
An interesting use of technology by the Obama campaign to streamline the get-out-the-vote efforts is mentioned on page 2 of the article (the flusher/project Houdini). It seems to be an improvement over the time-honored technique of having the precinct captain stand outside the polling place with a clipboard.
Sarah Palin is a real prima donna. Maybe we should ask her why she doesn't know who the president of Africa is? Is it because people don't have maps? I'd like to chip in and buy Palin a map.
Stop dropping trick questions on Palin, that's entrapment. Everyone knows there's no president of Africa, that state is ruled by the Iran. It's all Ayrabs, man.
I read this article the other day. It made me like McCain more as a person.
A significant number of conservatives just love Palin, and want her to run in 2012.
She's going to be entertaining us for years folks!
@4: At first they thought it was phishing, then the FBI told them they have a much bigger problem.
Second. Why does it seem odd that the FBI would know first? For starters the FBI is going to be much better at detecting intrusions and security breaches than the campaign security techs hired by the political campaigns. As for why the FBI was looking at their systems in the first place, of course they are. You have two campaigns who are currently looking to rule the country you are to protect. If you don't know each and every aspect about both parties then how would you know if they plan something malicious? McCain may not have vetted Palin, but I sincerely hope that the US government has a policy in place to vet the hell out of any campaign running to dictate policy in the US.
As to why this is of big concern. The political talking head tells the news that they plan on changing problem A to help demographic B. When in fact there is more to it and by changing problem A they are in fact hurting demographic C and D and massively profiting another department. Or possibly setting up a foreign affairs trade deal that said foreign affair should not know about. All these side deals and information is not shared with the public. But it is shared through the campaign. This is how you pull a fast one on somebody. If all of a sudden a foreign country has the scoop on all the tricks the new president is looking to pull, well they aren't going to be able to pull those tricks now are they? Is this a big concern now? You bet.
The FBI has every right to look into the campaigns security measures to ensure that the next US president hasn't given up trade secrets before he comes into power.
#20: Perhaps as Senator Palin.
The Houdini Project (the nationwide voter identification system) was supposed to track which supporters had voted so they could disappear from the databases that fed the 'turf lists': the list of identified supports in a particular neightborhood.
Unfortunately the Houdini system crashed by 10AM CST on Tuesday. I know this because I was a poll reporter. I got off about 4 calls before the system was gone for the duration.
This was an expensive disappointment for the campaign. Instead of printing off new, abridged turf lists, we took the 'rip cards*' back to the office, and manually struck people who had already voted from our turf lists. So the Obama GOTV effort went from networked computers & telecommunications to crumpled papers with voters struck through with yellow highlighters.
*rip cards have 3 copies of the precinct 'identified supporters' list, separated by 2 perforations. At 9, 1, and 4:30, one section of the rip cards is returned to the local headquarters.
Wow - learning in more detail what Palin did with a mere campaign expense account makes me even more relieved that she didn't get her grubby hands on our nation's coffers. Her financial blunders would have made W's pale in comparison. Heh.. Palin comparison...
"As for why the FBI was looking at their systems in the first place, of course they are. You have two campaigns who are currently looking to rule the country you are to protect. If you don't know each and every aspect about both parties then how would you know if they plan something malicious?"
Malicious as in reducing their funding or power? Like restoring the regulations meant to check the FBIs well known proclivity for political activity, such as using agent provocateur in order to marginalize activist groups?
Or perhaps you mean something like lying to start a war to enrich one's friends, what is the FBI to do about it, it seems not to be illegal? Why should the FBI have any say in malicious policies, if the are not illegal, or include plans to change the relevant laws?
Just paving the way to Lessig's prediction of an iPatriot Act, promtped by an i-9/11 "catastrophic" event (or series of them).
I can think of other entity that would want policy information, one of our intelligence organizations.
I am just a cynical person.
Retired Major
My Educated Guess: If it was an entity or government that we had no allegiance to, or had vastly different political or ideological views ... then they would have been divulged right away. This would have included: China, possibly Iran.
BUT, i have a sneaking suspicion its a country that we are close to, has/shares the same economic and political ideals but because of the negative press and conspiracies this info would bring and the further tarnishing of its reputation vis-a-vis the global and American eyes, our gov is trying hard to keep it under wraps while they talk to said entity/country.
Details that stood out (highly sophisticated hacking). So, this means it must be a country that is technologically advanced and has close ties to the US, and our policies affects its wellbeing ... so much so they had to resort to hacking. Top #1 guess? Israel.
You know, the other alternative is that the FBI was not the first agency aware of the problem. Strictly speaking, the FBI is the only agency of "The Big Three" (NSA, CIA, FBI) allowed to operate in the US targeting US citizens. The Obama security experts suspect that the intruders were operating out of Russia or China. The NSA is known to monitor communications that cross our borders, even phone calls from soldiers overseas (see the recent leak about NSA operators listening in on phone sex, making recordings, and alerting other operators to it) so it's not unreasonable that they might be monitoring traffic between the campaigns' networks and overseas servers. Also consider the long history of animosity between our nation and Russia and China. All the intelligence organizations have contacts and operations in those countries, guaranteed. Suppose the NSA picks up this odd traffic, or the CIA gets wind of it through a source overseas. They aren't necessarily going to want to blow their source by announcing it outright to the campaigns. Because of some legislation and directives passed a few years ago, all of these intel organizations are supposed to share information with each other. Suppose there was a component of this attack that indicated individuals inside the US were involved. That's FBI jurisdiction. The campaign networks are also on US soil, another argument for FBI jurisdiction. The other agencies kick what info they have to the FBI, the FBI contacts the campaigns, and pursues whatever other investigation it wants, the other intel orgs do whatever they need to do on their end, and it all gets wrapped up.
To me, my scenario makes more sense than the FBI breaking in, then telling the campaign that they broke in. I also tend to think that the FBI doesn't do Watergate type stuff to every person/group that runs for office. The risks for them are way too high, and I don't think they'd learn anything that'd be of any real relevance that they couldn't learn through less risky channels. I don't doubt that the FBI likely has files on the candidates, and lists and basic checks of their known associates, but I don't think they're a sinister, shadowy hand behind the scenes in elections. Then again, maybe I'm just naive.
McCain hacked Obama's campaign site so Obama hacked McCain's campaign site.
If it was China, Russia or Iran it would
be told right away. If it was Israel or
our own rogue units (CIA, FBI, NSA, or ???) it
is unidentified.
It is pretty obvious
who it is. Which country has had many spying
incidents against us, has a high tech defense
industry and international assassins?
sr ths s srl wtht dbt--- th cntry tht cntrls mrc's ntllgnc srvcs- n qstn f dbt
got any proof there Sabs?
There are a great many countries and entities that would find it useful to know what policies the candidates have in mind. No one here knows who did it, because anyone who's in a position to know that is also under a geas not to shoot their mouth off about it in public forums.
Prunk @21:
No, they do not. They absolutely do not. Feel free to play with your alternate-universe fantasies, but the FBI does not have the authority to vet candidates, much less crack into their campaigns' computer systems to do so.Oly Joe @30, they specifically said this wasn't a case of one campaign hacking another. This was some external power hacking into both.
MindySan @10:
No, they really didn't, and it cost them a lot more than the price of some clothes. His staffers have their knives drawn for Palin now that the election is over, which is why we're hearing stories about her additional shopping sprees and he confusion about Africa.I thought McCain seemed just a little bit relieved. As for Palin, it's known that she wanted a chance to speak at that event too, and was still pushing for it a quarter of an hour before it started.I'm appalled that Palin didn't know that Africa's a continent, and that the McCain campaign would have potentially put us all in the position of having that woman as our president. I'm not bothered nearly as much by the clothes.
One wicked thought that keeps running through my head is that they wanted a more traditional kind of woman, yes? It was certainly a traditional role that they handed her -- stuck doing a lot of the dirty work, so her bigshot guy can look like he's above it all. Meanwhile, he's ignoring her, barely speaking to her -- basically, giving her no respect. She's permitted to spend some of his money, but in theory it's only so she can do whatever he needs her to do, and present an appearance that's a credit to him and to his position.
Under those circumstances, big-ticket shopping sprees are a very traditional form of revenge.
Also, Palin could be forgiven for wanting to amp up her wardrobe if she was having to appear onstage with Cindy McCain. That's a woman who does not stint on her appearance. I'm thinking it's like McCain not knowing right off the bat how many houses he owns: if he thought Sarah Palin's clothes cost a profligate amount, he can't have been keeping track of his wife's expenses.
Does that mean I think the shopping sprees were a savvy move on Palin's part? I don't. Having that story become public really did screw up the "hockey mom" thing. It made her look venal and greedy. And my god, was she ever paying retail! It's more like a fantasy than a wardrobe acquisition program: "I can have anything I want at the very best department stores, and never have to worry about paying for it."
Interesting that the stories about Palin come out now - it can't damage the repubs as they lost the election anyway, suggesting someone in her own party has it in for her political aspirations.
Just further examples of what many already suspected of Palin. Every time she appeared this quote from Amadeus popped into my head, greedy little song bird. Please take this an examination of Palin's disdain for anything outside of her greedy little world. Why would she want to know anything about Africa, isn't filled with a bunch of poor ass colored Aids victims? God obviously doesn't care about them why should I? Africa is going to be below her radar for a number of reasons, not the least of which is it's not about her.
Teresa, I think you are right on about her shopping spree. In addition to being greedy opportunistic @#%$*, she was pissed about being told what to do by these people from the beginning. Screw them, I'll take that one and two of those others, and what did you want Todd? The sad fact is she knows her audience and was probably right. Look at the difference between her rallies and McCain's. She knows one thing well, how to play to her crowd. Let's just hope her crowd doesn't get any bigger between now and 2012.
Really? Why were these systems in any way open in the first place? Plus I think the "negotiating advantage" gained wouldn't be all that great .... hmmm
A User @35, that "someone" is known to be McCain campaign staffers. They've put in a hell of a lot of hard work, only to wind up beaten two to one; and having Palin be McCain's running mate contributed significantly to that defeat.
I don't think much of Palin's long-term chances at national office. Her knowledge base is sufficient for her to be a TV newsreader, not someone who makes the news, and I doubt she'll improve. Getting to her age still ignorant of information like what the VP does and who's President of Africa argues a basic lack of interest in subjects a national-level politician needs to know.
I've been reading in a few places here and there about the possibility of Palin running for president. It baffles me. She's a laughingstock, isn't she? Yes, she may have core group of supporters, but she does not have broad appeal.
She'll vanish from sight. Well, if she had sense, she'd vanish, and she has none. Palin has no shame, so she'll try to milk this whole thing. But she'll just become the political version of Paris Hilton, self-centered and high profile. Sure, Palin has her fans. Amazingly enough, so does Hilton.
We'll get the last bits of news about her outrageous campaign antics, and then we'll lose interest. Stupid isn't news when it isn't in danger of becoming VP. How much do we hear about Dan Quayle these days?
If I was Sarah Palin and this was my one and only chance to be in the national spotlight, which I hope to god it was, then of course I would take advantage of the situation where some donor willingly gave her a credit card and told her to buy new clothes at Saks.
I find it funny that on one hand you have hackers trying to hack into Obama's and McCain's computer networks, and on the other hand people are hacking into Palin's email account and prank calling her, haha. I can't even believe that people are actually talking about her running for president 2012, there is absolutely no way that is going to ever happen.
Palin is a grotesque and a laughingstock to us, yes. But there is a fervent group of people who adore her, and to them her travails are validation of her credibility rather than indication of her incompetence. I don't see her as a political Paris Hilton, though. Paris wants attention. Palin wants power, and is more of the "dangerous demagogue" type.
Kind of like Pat Buchanan in lipstick.
But she's tasted political blood at the national level now, and she's a political creature. I think it will draw her back. Keep in mind that Quayle was never very ambitious (Marilyn was the driven one in that couple), which is one reason why his buffoonery was never a great political risk. Palin's taking Steven's Senate seat is contingent on how well she can make nice with AK Republicans, but I bet she'll show up at the 2012 primaries regardless.
Apropos of nothing, doesn't the Aztec calendar end at 2012?
Buchanan is smart. She reminds me more of a Falwell in lipstck, lipstick on a pig, dontchaknow.
Seconded. Buchanan is a demagogue, but he knows more words than Palin does.
And Falwell wasn't? Both of those guys are reason enough to wish I was wrong about heaven and hell regardless of any personal costs.