WikiLeaks highlights security challenges of the digital age

Leaks threatens drive for US security agencies to share

PTI | July 30, 2010



A former head of the CIA warned that government secrets pouring through WikiLeaks could sabotage the post 9-11 campaign to break down walls between rival US intelligence agencies.

"This is destructive on so many levels," retired Air Force general and former CIA chief Michael Hayden said of the WikiLeaks saga, after an onstage chat yesterday at a Black Hat computer security conference in Las Vegas.

"It reinforces the darker angels. Leaders in the intelligence community have to come to grips with this problem and work hard to find an answer."

Black Hat and an overlapping DefCon gathering of hackers have become venues for national security officials to court software wizards as allies to fight cyber wars, online crime syndicates and other mounting Internet threats.

By turning the Internet into a worldwide stage for sensitive government information, WikiLeaks is sowing distrust between the very intelligence agencies castigated for being too secretive prior to the World Trade Centre attack on September 11, 2001.

"In the years after 9/11, whenever anything went wrong I got slammed by both parties about failure to share," Hayden said.

"We told senators 'Yes, we'll share.' But, in the back of your mind your conscious was saying there are real dangers in sharing. And that just got displayed."

A massive release of secret Pentagon documents by WikiLeaks highlights security challenges of the digital age, when gigabytes of sensitive data can be exposed with a single click, according to analysts.

Comments

 

Other News

Cabinet approves museum at North-South Block complex

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday has approved the development of the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM) at the North and South Block Complex, New Delhi, at an estimated total project cost of ₹3,230 crore, as appraised by the Public Investmen

Cabinet approves extension of Noida metro corridor

The Union Cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has approved the extension of Aqua Line Metro Rail Corridor from Noida Sector-51 to Greater Noida Sector-04 of Noida Metro Rail Project with corridor for a length of 8.449 km with 5 elevated stations. On operationalization of this corridor, Noid

India reaffirms commitment to climate multilateralism

India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate multilateralism and the principles of Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), calling for a fair, equitable and ambitious outcome at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framewo

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

1,364 anti-cancer formulations to cost less from today

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs. This was based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constitute

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter