Re: [Cfrg] NSA re-org and its impact

[Yoav Nir <[e-mail]>]

> On 2 Feb 2016, at 10:14 PM, Salz, Rich <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 
> I try to stay out of national crypto politics here, but I think many on these lists (both big, please be careful about replying) will care.
>  
> The NSA is re-organizing to merge its signals intelligence (attack) and information assurance (protect) into one unit.  The NSA is, by US Law, the official advisor to NIST on cryptography. NIST has a pretty admirable track record of crypto (exceptions being mostly when they were misled by their official expert). Things may change now.  Or not.  YMMV.
>  
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-security-agency-plans-major-reorganization/2016/02/02/2a66555e-c960-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html <https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-security-agency-plans-major-reorganization/2016/02/02/2a66555e-c960-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory>
>  

IDK. People were complaining before about the attack mission overshadowing and in fact hurting the protect mission. I don’t see how this makes it better. Perhaps worse.

> “When it comes to cyber in particular, the line between collection capabilities 
> and our own vulnerabilities — between the acquisition of signals intelligence 
> and the assurance of our own information — is virtually nonexistent,” said 
> Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence 
> Committee. “What is a vulnerability to be patched at home is often a potential 
> collection opportunity abroad and vice versa.”

This sounds so... misguided.

Yoav