How Long Until Hackers Start Faking Leaked Documents? by Bruce Schneier.
Bruce writes:
…
No one is talking about this, but everyone needs to be alert to the possibility. Sooner or later, the hackers who steal an organization’s data are going to make changes in them before they release them. If these forgeries aren’t questioned, the situations of those being hacked could be made worse, or erroneous conclusions could be drawn from the documents. When someone says that a document they have been accused of writing is forged, their arguments at least should be heard.
Really?
Governments, the United States Government in particular, leak false information and documents as a matter of normal business practice. Not to mention corporations and special interest groups that pay for false research (think Harvard, sugar studies) to be published.
In case you missed it, read Inside the fight to reveal the CIA’s torture secrets. In depth analysis of how the CIA not only lied, but destroyed evidence, spied on the U.S. Senate and otherwise misbehaved during an investigation into its torture practices.
That’s just one example. One could fill a multi-volume series with the lies, false documents and fabrications of the current and immediately previous U.S. President.
The argument torturers were “doing their duty to protect the country” and so merit a pass on accountability I recommend to any future political assassins. See how that plays out in a court of law. Hint: Crimes are crimes whatever your delusional understanding of “the greater good.”
The easier rule is:
Consider all documents/statements as false unless and until:
- You are satisfied of the truth of the document/statement, or
- It is to your advantage to treat the document/statement as true.
That covers situations like “fact free” accusations of cyber hacking against the Russians, North Koreans and/or Chinese by the U.S. government.
No “evidence” has been offered for any of those allegations, only vaguely worded rumors circulated among “experts” who are also government contractors. You can imagine the credibility I assign to such sources.
Probably happenstance but such contractors could be telling the truth. Unfortunately, in the absence of any real evidence, only the self-interested in such “truths” or the extremely credulous, crack-pipe users for example, would credit such statements.