Ground Report

I recently met with a “security expert” in the private sector to discuss ways he could advise his client on how to secure classified information in the digital age in light of Edward Snowden’s revelations of National Security Agency (NSA) snooping and meta data collection techniques.

I think l shocked him when l began suggesting the adoption of rather old school methods of communicating. Perhaps he thought l was going to recommend some new encryption program or fancy  new type of  firewall protection software.

But this was not the case whatsoever.

Among the 52 security recommendations I shared with him over our 20 minute meeting, which I outlined in a 16 page report I gave him (at no cost) were:

1) The use of specially adapted computers, for data storage and retrieval that are not hooked up to the internet (by design) and use old outdated hardware and software that made them impossible to hack using viruses and bugs. Such as those currently in use now by the United States Air Force missile command in accordance with strict IT and cyber security protocols.

2) The use of old fashion manual typewriters, an idea that may sound absolutely ridiculous on the surface, but represents one of the most secure ways to protect classified information.

Before you laugh – last year, in apparent response to the Snowden’s NSA revelations, the Russian Federal Guard Service, (Russian: Федеральная служба охраны, ФСО (Federalnaya Sluzhba Okhrany or FSO)the organization tasked with  protecting high ranking state officials ( including the President of Russia)  ordered 24 electronic portable typewriters – at a cost of 489,000 rubles ( roughly equivalent to around $14,000 dollars US give or take a few bucks).

I have actually seen a copy of the original requisition order, which appears total innocuous but I recognized immediately as significant! As such I duly shared this information with my contacts within the government.  Prompting some of them to send me rather rude and condescending emails that such information could hardly be considered of any intelligence value whatsoever?

Stupid  fools!

I should add in this particular case that the FSO unit involved with ordering the typewriters were the Special Communication Service (Spetsviaz).*

On another note the FSO is headed by General Evgeny Murov – a man I have been studying for years. Nicknamed the “Silver fox” – one of the smartest, most intelligent, well respected and feared intelligence officials to ever emerge from Russia.

He is rumored to be retiring soon (see report:  Retirement of FSO’s Murov may exacerbate Russia’s underground silovik conflicts http://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/retirement-of-fsos-murov-may-exacerbate-russias-underground-silovik-conflicts/).

Murov’s reported successor is Alexei Mironov, his deputy and the head of Spetssvyaz, the FSO’s Special Communications Service, the same man who authorized the typewriter requisition.

NOTE: * The Special Communications and Information Service of the Federal Protective Service of the Russian Federation (Spetssvyaz, Spetssviaz; Russian: Служба специальной связи и информации, Спецсвязь России) is a cryptologic intelligence agency of The Federal Protective Service of Russia responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting Russian government communications and information systems,which involves information security and cryptanalysis/cryptography. It is the equivalent to the United States National Security Agency. There number of employees: “Classified.” Annual Budget: “Classified.”

Address:

Адрес – 107031, Москва, пер. Большой Кисельный, д. 4;

Telephone number: Телефон – 914-15-80;

Fax: Факс – 914-40-83.

Source: Website http://www.fso.gov.ru/struktura/p2_1_1.html