Photo by Taylor Vick, Unsplash
Photo by Taylor Vick, Unsplash
Elon Musk has laser-focused his attacks on the digital hubs that can disrupt just about every life in the US. This deserves a new term: Anti-social engineering.
Over the past few days an unprecedented series of hacks have overtaken computer systems in our government that control all aspects of personnel management and expenditures of around $6 trillion dollars. The perpetrator of these hacks aren’t Russian, Chinese or North Korea but Elon Musk and young computer nerds he employs.
First Musk and his people took over computer systems of the Office of Personnel Management, controlling information of millions of government employees. Anyone who objected was summarily shown the door while Musk’s nerds didn’t just install some code in their systems, but entire hard drives. They then did the same thing at the Treasury department gaining full access to all the payment systems involved in administering the multi-trillion dollar budget of the country. The executive who objected, was again shown the door.
Back in the day, before even the Internet became a thing a new kind of hacking was developed. One of the pioneers was the late Kevin Mitnick—one of the originators of the concept of “social engineering” to hack into systems like AOL and others. Mitnick was caught, did a prison term and became a widely respected advocate for computer security and security education.
Social engineering really involved conning people into giving over access or codes or even physical access as methods for hacking into systems and buildings.
Elon Musk has taken this idea to an entirely new level of basically kicking down the doors and having any gatekeepers simply fired. And according to a recent media interview, Donald Trump says Musk has his express permission to do so. The fact that neither Musk nor his nerdy minions have legal authority much less security clearances seem to mean absolutely nothing.
Yesterday’s news covers the total penetration of yet another agency, USAID, which distributes foreign aid to poor and ill people around the world. Even Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State under Trump is in on the act of issuing stupid justifications for Musk’s Gestapo style take over of that agency—which he openly intends to kill off.
These are the opening salvos of escalating attacks against the very structure and fabric of our government—and that means these are attacks against us.
Despite all the flaws and aggravations the Federal Government has bestowed upon us over the decades, it is still our government. It belongs to us. It is still—though maybe not for long—the engine of social order in this country and to a large degree around the world.
Elon Musk laser-focused his attacks on the digital hubs that can disrupt just about every life in the US. This deserves a new term: Anti-social engineering.
Despite Trump’s approval of Musk’s actions, there is the pesky problem that it is just plain illegal:
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is a federal law that prohibits unauthorized access to computers. It protects computers used by the government, banks, and others connected to the internet.
What the CFAA does
- Makes it a crime to access a computer without authorization
- Makes it a crime to exceed authorized access to a computer
- Protects information that is restricted for national defense or foreign relations
- Protects information that is restricted for other reasons
Penalties for violating the CFAA Fines, Imprisonment, and Sentencing enhancements for committing other crimes.
So, in the world’s largest nutshell we now have a foreign-born billionaire ketamine junkie—raised under the apartheid regime of South Africa, running a quasi “agency” that was not created by any Act of Congress, but acting under the dictatorial whims of a criminal illegally occupying the Office of President, fully in control of the computer information infrastructure of the government’s payroll and disbursement systems. Does any of this sound “normal” to you?
Anti-social engineering is actually a severe understatement.
Where are the calls from a single soul in Congress for the immediate arrest of Musk and those he sent into take over our systems? That’s right. Even the crickets are silent.
Marty Kassowitz is co-founder of Factkeepers. As founder of Interest Factory and View360, he brings more than 30 years experience in effective online communications, social media management, and platform development to the site. He is a writer, designer, editor and long time observer of the ill-logic demonstrated by too many members of the species known as Mankind. After a long history of somewhat private commentary on a subject he totally hates: politics, Marty was encouraged to build this site and put up his own analyses as well as curate relevant content from other sources.
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