ShaneHarris.com » National Security Agency

Killer App

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:45:32 +0000

Have a bunch of Silicon Valley computer geeks figured out how to stop terrorists?

9/10: The Day Before

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:25:36 +0000

No one asks, “Where were you on 9/10?” and most people don’t remember. It’s only in hindsight that the details of a thoroughly ordinary day seem so remarkable.

Bin Laden’s death planned out in miniature

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:17:43 +0000

Before a team of elite Navy forces stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, they and senior US officials had closely studied a digital mock-up of the facility and even a physical miniature, able to be laid out on a table. It showed them the intelligence community’s best guess about what Bin Laden’s hiding place looked like, down to the precise location of gates, fences, windows, and doors.

Full story in Washingtonian.

Dispatches from the war on leaks

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:37:16 +0000

A draft indictment against former NSA official Thomas Drake, which was never filed, shows that the government contemplated prosecuting him for a range of crimes, including conspiracy. But many of the most serious charges were dropped. Why? And what does it tell us about the Obama administration’s ongoing campaign to staunch leaks of classified information? Read my exclusive piece in Washingtonian.

A Clueless President

admin — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:59:06 +0000

I’ve long known that, on many important national security decisions, former president George W. Bush wasn’t in the driver’s seat. But I was shocked to discover that at one of the most critical points of his presidency, Bush wasn’t even in the car. Here’s my review of Bush’s shocking admission, in his new memoir, about the week that imperiled his administration and might have exposed one of his most controversial intelligence programs.

The Watchers in the New York Times

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:45:40 +0000

The New York Times review is in today’s paper. Eric Lichtblau, no stranger to the opaque world of surveillance, gave it strong praise:

“it uses smart technical analysis and crisp writing to put the reader inside the room with the watchers and to help better understand the mind-set that gave rise to the modern surveillance state.”

“At its best ‘The Watchers’ provides an insightful glimpse into how Washington works and how ideas are marketed and sold in the back rooms of power, whether the product being peddled is widgets or a radical model for intelligence gathering.”

The Watchers in the Wall Street Journal

shaneharris — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:13:45 +0000

Check out this essay in the Wall Street Journal based on my book. I take an in-depth look at what’s wrong with the U.S. security system, and how to fix it.

Hacking the Bad Guys

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:43:54 +0000

The United States is fighting a new kind of war, but the first shots were fired a generation ago. Check out my feature story in Washingtonian about the rise of cyber security in the U.S. government, told through the tales of two key actors.

Rise of Cyberwar on C-SPAN

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:52:28 +0000

I was a guest on Washington Journal this morning, talking about cyber war and my recent cover story in National Journal on how a U.S. cyber attack helped turn the tide of the Iraq war. The program lasted a half hour, and we took a number of good viewer questions.

China’s Cyber Militia

admin — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Just a quick heads up to those who might not be on my e-mail list, a pointer to a cover story in Friday’s National Journal on China’s cyber militia . U.S. intelligence officials and computer security experts believe that Chinese hackers may be responsible for two major blackouts, as well as the theft of information from Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The Associated Press picked up on the Gutierrez incident today, as well.