China Write Up Includes a Juicy Factoid
December 24, 2020
“Beijing Ransacked Data as US Sources Went Dark in China” is a political write up. However, the article contains one interesting factoid. Keep in mind that a “factoid” can be a chunk of the alternative reality in which some thumbtypers thrive.
Here’s the passage I noted:
“Chinese officials became much more reluctant to talk after [the WikiLeaks cables], because they didn’t believe we could keep it a secret,” recalled a current State Department official with extensive experience in China.
The “we” is US government officials.
Why would a Chinese professional perceive the US as unable to keep a secret? One possible explanation is that access to online systems was in hand. Therefore, information in a US government system would be available to other entities with a Chinese-style intelligence system.
I understand that there are only a couple of countries with Chinese style resources. But when it comes to security technology, even smaller outfits with a small number of skilled engineers and programmers can accomplish some surprising exploits.
The write up puts some color into the somewhat lifeless quote. In my opinion, the quote makes clear that at least one US government official appears to have acknowledged that “lights out” may a persistent characteristic for some US government entities.
Stephen E Arnold, December 24, 2020
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