One of the most basic tenets of cybersecurity is that you must “consider your threat model” when trying to keep your data and your communications safe, and then take appropriate steps to protect yourself.

This means you need to consider who you are, what you are talking about, and who may want to know that information (potential adversaries) for any given account, conversation, etc. The precautions you want to take to protect yourself if you are a random person messaging your partner about what you want to eat for dinner may be different than those you’d want to take, if, hypothetically, you are the Secretary of Defense of the United States or a National Security Advisor talking to top administration officials about your plans for bombing an apartment building in Yemen.

  • Ulrich@feddit.org
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    5 days ago

    Your threat model is being authoritarian + a moron.

    They’re using Signal with disappearing messages instead of official channels because they don’t want their conversations documented for accountability. It’s the same shit they relentlessly blasted Hillary for.

    I was most disappointed when I read that he left the group chat. Missed opportunity for some top-class trolling:

    We are good on OPSEC

    Are you really tho? 👀 🥸 😱

    • T156@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I was most disappointed when I read that he left the group chat. Missed opportunity for some top-class trolling:

      Although that may have had him arrested/raided for accessing most secret information he lacks clearance for, so leaving upon finding out it was the real thing and not a joke group was the better move.

        • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          Remember when the Governor of Missouri tried to have a guy arrested for notifying the state of Missouri that they had a breach in one of the state websites, making peoples PII publicly visible?

          That’s the kind of idiots you’re dealing with here. “We added you to a group chat by mistake and it’s all YOUR fault.”

        • Traister101@lemmy.today
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          5 days ago

          But that obviously wouldn’t stop them from having him disappeared. Heck I don’t even think that’s off the table now

          • Ulrich@feddit.org
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            4 days ago

            Probably not, especially now that he’s leaking the previously undisclosed classified information (that the people involved insisted was not classified). But them’s the brakes when you’re a journalist.

            • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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              I think even the Trump administration is just about bright enough to realize that disappearing a top journalist wouldn’t go well for them. Especially if he never turned up again.

              • Ulrich@feddit.org
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                22 hours ago

                I really don’t think they’d care. Until someone shows them they’re not untouchable, why wouldn’t they?

      • ansiz@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        The reporter is a former IDF soldier, there is no way he would face any real blowback from Trump. There is a reason they had his number to add to the group and it’s because they were already feeding him information. The Atlantic is just a left coded mouthpiece for the State Department.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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          So your conspiracy is that a left-wing aligned journalist was in the phone of a right-wing politician. Therefore it’s his fault he received the information and shouldn’t have reported it?

          Really? Even the flat Earth people would think that’s stupid.

          • ansiz@lemmy.world
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            24 hours ago

            Lol, I didn’t say any of that. But it’s a fact Goldberg has been a mouthpiece for the State department going back to at least the Iraq war in my opinion. He’s not a Trump guy but just doesn’t want to piss off any current administration so he won’t lose his access.

  • LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    MAGA Administration Secure Communication Assessment Procedure:

    1. Are you Hillary Clinton?
      ☐ Yes    ☐ No

    If No, discontinue assessment and do whatever the fuck you want.

    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.zip
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      Its actually perfect. No notes. No possible improvements.

      This deserves some kind of award.

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    5 days ago

    I recall hearing that professional poker players hate playing against novices, because novices are so unpredictable. It’s really hard to plan a defense against someone(s) who are so incompetent that you have no idea what’s going to happen.

    • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      That’s why I win at poker. I don’t know what I’m doing, so I’m always putting most of my chips in, whether I have nothing, or a pair of 2s.

    • rabber@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      I actually got kicked out from a poker club in college because of this. I wasn’t “playing properly”.

  • solrize@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Military gear generally has tons of anti-moron safeguards. Unfortunately, Signal is for civilians.

    • liverbe@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Which also means these conversations were on an unapproved app on an unapproved device. Actual government phones wouldn’t be able to get Signal, right?

        • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
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          5 days ago

          I actually wouldn’t be shocked if it was possible with modern smartphones. A significant amount of money is available to be made from federal security work, and meeting the NSA criteria has benefits that extend to companies that work in the federal security space as well.

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          5 days ago

          As long as you can flash them, everything’s possible.

          In that spirit: Fuck Apple to hell.

      • darkdemize@sh.itjust.works
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        5 days ago

        I have a government-issued iPhone. It has Signal on it, and I have access to the appstore. It’s also not allowed to be used for anything but unclassified communication and isn’t permitted inside restricted areas.

  • sndmn@lemmy.ca
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    5 days ago

    Another 9/11 scale fuckup is all but guaranteed, mark my words.

    • liverbe@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Yup, people are going to die, and it is going to be their fault… and they won’t care. Maybe the American people will. 🤔

      • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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        5 days ago

        Americans will be pissed, but at the end of the day nothing measurable will come of it. We’d have to be straight starving to get off our asses and get shit done.

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            5 days ago

            That’s gonna happen when a riot occurs or a protest gets violent. Presidents can do it for any length of time, and only Congress has the power to reign them in. And of course, none of them would do that, so it’s “Marshall” Law until they crown Trump or Vance emperor.

  • Geobloke@lemm.ee
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    5 days ago

    Can we just imagine if al Qaeda had added a journalist to their group chat regarding a bombing?