Schneier on Security

Clive Robinson • July 11, 2010 7:42 PM

@ Bruce,

Off Topic.

Interesting page from the Jerusalem Post, about IDF troops from a secret base setting up an open facebook group

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=180838

When reading remember that the artical as is has been passed by the IDF censors.

The scary part is not just that these soldiers went about setting up the facebook group incorrectly, but that they appear not to have considered that they where leaking unclassified but highly sensitive information that in aggregate represented a significant security breach.

Worse not only was it on a commercial service but one in a forign nation. Even if not hacked by those that Israel might regard as enamies the information would be freely available to US agencies and the agencies of any other Gov that might wish to put appropriate preasure on the company (for instance the UK under RIPA can chose to take criminal action against officers or others working for the company that refuse to release the information when requested).

This issue with social networking should be of significant concern not just to Governments and their agencies but also to all organisations as it alows outsiders to become insiders in ways that remove normal human suspicion.