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Posted by on Dec 28, 2014 in Blog, Politics | 1 comment

Could the North Korean Cyber Attack Be a Hoax?

 

Kim Jong Un

 

Even if the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea did orchestrate the attacks, the American intelligence community and defense contractors will most certainly exaggerate the dangers, which have already happened since the mushrooming of the bloated military-industrial complex since 9/11, authorized by the Patriot Act.

 

I’m not usually swayed by conspiracy theories.

But something I read yesterday at Paul Harris’ Bacchanal Buffet of a website really got me to thinking.  [Read Here:  Don’t Blame North Korea]

I find myself contemplating the seemingly outlandish prospect that the fiddlers might have played us all as fools.  It’s not that I don’t trust our national security and intelligence bureaucracy, but….on second thought — I don’t trust our national security and intelligence bureaucracy.  There, I said it.

Could the cyber attack allegedly orchestrated by North Korea on the Sony Corporation a few weeks ago, purportedly ordered in retaliation to a few objectionable scenes in an otherwise lousy Hollywood movie, be a hoax?  Are we being lied to on a grand scale?  If not, might some who walk among us be opportunistic enough to take advantage of the mass panic?

Citing one passage of an excellent article by cybersecurity expert Marc Rogers, the answer is — maybe.  Rogers writes:

You don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to see that blaming North Korea is quite convenient for the FBI and the current U.S. administration.  It’s the perfect excuse to push through whatever new, strong, cyber-laws they feel are appropriate, safe in the knowledge that an outraged public is fairly likely to support them.

Hmm, I wonder.

Might the United States Government, and/or its imminently powerful private sector accomplices be on the lookout for the next boogeyman?  North Korea, as awful as it is, fits the role as the perfect demon.  The regime makes threats and rattles its nuclear sabers with some regularity.  Now, they supposedly have an entire army of hackers rummaging through our e-mails.

Finding yet another enemy of the state to go along with Al Qaeda, ISIS, China, Putin, and the rest of the world’s kitchen sink would most definitely ensure the ongoing survival and enrichment of plenty of government contractors since they’ll be paid handsomely to continue serving as the guardians of our galaxy.  It makes perfect sense that the scaremongers who relish doing surveillance on an unprecedented scale would exaggerate threats from abroad, and particularly of this type since it opens up a whole new smorgasbord of possibilities to profit and attain even more power.

Consider the size and scope of this monster with such an insatiable appetite.  According to a recent investigation by The Washington Post, ” some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counter-terrorism, homeland security, and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.”  That’s a lot of mouths to feed and jobs to protect, nearly 900,000 by this estimate.  [Read Here:  A hidden world, growing beyond control]

Nah, they wouldn’t take advantage of a scare, would they?

The murkiness of the attacks on Sony does lead to a connection of convenient dots.  Again, read Marc Rogers’ article.  Let’s face it.  Americans aren’t likely to favor imposing laws which govern the Internet.  Nor are we prone to tolerate invasions of our privacy.  Any excuse to blow the bugle of attack again in the name of “national security,” calling for more government funding to ramp up America’s already bloated defense and intelligence bureaucracy, would certainly be tempting for those inclined to reap the rewards.  And if they’re not actually doing the dirty work themselves, then fanning the flames of fear afterward is still mighty good for business.  Imagine all the new funding from Congress, outsourcing what would be the Hunt for Cyber October to their ex-military buddies looking to create even more new start-ups inside the beltway.

Of course, no one can prove that a conspiracy exists.  At least, not yet.  It’s just a theory.  But no one can prove that North Korea has successfully managed to crack the cyber codes of rich and powerful corporations, either.  And if North Korea didn’t do the dirty deeds, then who did?  Right now, all we have is lots of social media indignation and the distraction of a few celebrities trying to pimp a bad movie, now certain to enjoy far greater revenues and public interest than otherwise would have been imaginable.  Until there’s more evidence, we should keep in mind there are many moving parts here and just about anything is possible.  Like solving a crime, it all begins with means, motive, and opportunity.

Our government and its willful collaborators have already shown what they’re capable of, evidenced by the timely release of the incendiary report on torture, earlier this month.  Recall that government agencies and their empowered cavalry of contractors knowing broke the law, then lied about it, and then actively sought to sway public opinion through deceptive practices, including working with so-called friendly news outlets and reporters.  Would anyone dare argue that such deceptive practices have now ceased completely and no longer exist?

Are you kidding?  Like I said — means, motive, and opportunity.

Now, the beltway bandits might be exposed.  Let’s hope so.  They’ll do almost anything to stay in business, even if it means manufacturing foreign threats that are either minimal or don’t exist at all.  They’ll certainly exaggerate danger abroad (and within) because it’s in their interest to do so, and there’s little or no oversight of their operations nor budget.  Once thousands of additional programmers and online analysts get hired by companies the names we’ve never heard of and who operate in secret, it becomes nearly impossible to dissolve those barnacles and eliminate their pet contractors.  After all, no politician wants to risk being the skeptic who cut national defense and made us more vulnerable to attack.  So, the wheels of America’s most bloated bureaucracy continue spinning at full speed, costing us untold hundreds of billions, while our national infrastructure crumbles and we obsess over the welfare queen drawing $617 a month.

These cyber-attacks must be investigated more deeply, although I wonder who’s trustworthy enough to knock on the doors hiding the biggest secrets.  If the online threat isn’t coming from North Korea, as some reputable sources are now telling us, then we should start looking right here on American soil for the real threats to our freedom.

We have met the enemy and it might be us.

1 Comment

  1. Well, Nolan…
    Congratulations, you are now starting to really see what the hell I was talking about concerning the financial self-interest of military contractors when I responded to your October 22nd, 2014 blog post.
    LINK (my comments are in responses section): October 22, 2014 – Absurd Historical Revisionism

    You are truly starting to see the light in a wonderfully articulate fashion now. Kudos & Thank you!

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