U.S Identifies Suspect in Leak of CIA Hacking Tools

rgMekanic

[H]ard|News
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
6,943
In a follow up from a story from last year, where Wikileaks exposed a number of CIA hacking tools, used to compromise platforms like the iPhone, Android, Windows, and more. The U.S government has identified a suspect in the leak. The Washington Post is reporting that Joshua Adam Schulte, a former employee of a CIA group that designs spy code is believed to be the person who leaked the details of the hacking tools to Wikileaks.

However despite months of investigation, prosecutors have been unable to bring charges against Schulte for the leak. Schulte is currently in a Manhattan jail on charges of possessing, receiving and transporting child pornography, after prosecutors allege they found a large cache of child pornography on a server that was maintained by Schulte. Schulte has pleaded not guilty, and argued that anywhere from 50 to 100 people had access to the server that he designed several years ago for sharing movies and other digital files.

Interesting that they can't get charges for the leak against him, even though he has been in a Manhattan jail since September for the child pornography charges. Hopefully more information will come out.

Schulte also claimed that he reported "incompetent management and bureaucracy" at the CIA to that agency's inspector general as well as a congressional oversight committee. That painted him as a disgruntled employee, he said, and when he left the CIA in 2016, suspicion fell upon him as "the only one to have recently departed [the CIA engineering group] on poor terms," Schulte wrote.
 
"incompetent management and bureaucracy" at the CIA to that agency's inspector general as well as a congressional oversight committee."

We all know what happens to whistle blowers.
 
I read a story awhile back about some dude the government wanted to get for tax evasion (iirc). They couldn't convict him on that, but managed to bring similar charges because he hosted a tor exit node.

Piss off the feds, and they'll probably find a way to get you; there's plenty of laws on the books, to help make sure of that.

Man, have we nailed this freedom thing, or what?
 
Everyone who believes the P0rn WAS NOT planted, raise your hand.

But in this case, they can go ahead and suicide him. I am fine with that.
 
Last edited:
The CIA probably won't be forthcoming with information hence making spying charges difficult.
 
I read a story awhile back about some dude the government wanted to get for tax evasion (iirc). They couldn't convict him on that, but managed to bring similar charges because he hosted a tor exit node.

Piss off the feds, and they'll probably find a way to get you; there's plenty of laws on the books, to help make sure of that.

Man, have we nailed this freedom thing, or what?

Everyone is guilty of SOMETHING, right?
 
Everyone is guilty of SOMETHING, right?

There are so many laws on the books, I am sure this is true.

It’s more important than ever to have social connections. I don’t actually think that this is bad. The strategy of the game has changed.

You wonder why a spook would be running some weird file sharing server though. I am much too paranoid for that!
 
So the CIA hires a kiddie porn collector. I guess they will hire anyone.
 
Sounds like they manufactured the kiddie porn charges to keep him jailed until they can suicide him or manufacture other evidence.
Don't say "he"....
Cis might identify as a woman like the last big leaker.
 
Amazing how people that leak CIA and NSA secrets always turn out to by pure coincidence by pedophiles. I mean I am sure that it's just a coincidence. After all the government would never manufacture evidence in order to discredit someone by linking them to what many consider to be the worst crime imaginable.
 
Sounds like they manufactured the kiddie porn charges to keep him jailed until they can suicide him or manufacture other evidence.

"See Congress. This is why we at the FBI and CIA need back doors in all encrypted computers... Too many traitors and pedos use them. Think of the children."

Manufacturing charges like this is a known tactic for a long time... probably first popularized in the first X-Files movie in 1998.
 
So the CIA hires a kiddie porn collector. I guess they will hire anyone.

Right?!? Hey, don't look at the fact that we might have missed hiring a pedo.

I suppose it wouldn't be right if, somehow, the people putting the tools back in the hands of the people were also likeable. One day we'll get a citizen hacker that doesn't make you feel the least bit dirty for supporting. Or, at least, one that the government can't discredit with a smear campaign.
 
"incompetent management and bureaucracy" at the CIA to that agency's inspector general as well as a congressional oversight committee."

We all know what happens to whistle blowers.
Shot in the back of the head 6 times and it is determined to be a suicide?
 
Sounds like they manufactured the kiddie porn charges to keep him jailed until they can suicide him or manufacture other evidence.
I read a story awhile back about some dude the government wanted to get for tax evasion (iirc). They couldn't convict him on that, but managed to bring similar charges because he hosted a tor exit node.

Piss off the feds, and they'll probably find a way to get you; there's plenty of laws on the books, to help make sure of that.

Man, have we nailed this freedom thing, or what?
so he's smart enough to create spy tools, research and code 0 day exploits, get hired into a TS program within the CIA, presumably has quite the past in tech.....and couldnt encrypt/hide some jpg files. makes total sense.


"incompetent management and bureaucracy" at the CIA to that agency's inspector general as well as a congressional oversight committee."

We all know what happens to whistle blowers.

Right?!? Hey, don't look at the fact that we might have missed hiring a pedo.

I suppose it wouldn't be right if, somehow, the people putting the tools back in the hands of the people were also likeable. One day we'll get a citizen hacker that doesn't make you feel the least bit dirty for supporting. Or, at least, one that the government can't discredit with a smear campaign.

And we know this is of course, by design?


This is why we need new privacy AND wider whistleblowing protection laws - full stop, top down, bottom up. The ones we have are not sufficient in our current technological state and have been used by governments - both democrat and republican led - to enact vengeance more than provide justice, while funneling more and more information to their plutocratic, election-funding backers. Think about it - the wrongdoing revealed by whistleblowers in the past decade+ has never been addressed, only attempts to take down the whistleblowers themselves from Assange, to John Kirakou, to Manning, to even Snowden (not to mention those lesser known whistleblowers and leakers like Reality Winner and the fellow discussed here). All the focus is on how bad these people are for revealing said wrongdoing!

If we're really serious about freedom and we need to close a MAJOR loophole that allows "undesirable" people to be shuffled off and given the worst scarlet letter our society - we need to stop making the possession alone of ANY file, including child pornography, illegal in and of itself. There is no other crime where simply watching or having a recording of the crime - from jaywalking up to rape and murder - makes you able to be prosecuted for possession thereof. If the police found your computer or browsing history with a copy of that old (russian?) video of a group of men murdering another guy with a hammer, you wouldn't be in trouble legally. Likewise, torture/rape/snuff films both fake and sadly in some cases probably real - so long as you did not in any way commission the creation thereof directly (and no, simply "showing there is an interested audience" does not apply here, or really anywhere else. Otherwise all those TV channels with "true crime murder porn" stories - South Park joked about this once - would be responsible!). If I don't like you, or am paid by some individual to plant some images or videos on your accounts/machines etc.. . suddenly you're one of the worst kinds of criminal? The honest truth of it is that much like any other crime, the perpetrators are the ones involved; those simply possessing a recording thereof does not change what occurred on said recording, for good or for ill. This is not to say we can't have laws ensuring speedy takedown/removal from public exhibition when informed (ie DMCA style but used for some actual good ) etc...but that's a far cry from simply criminalizing anyone who has a copy.

Whenever people want to treat people differently from due process, get around pesky laws meant to protect our society etc... there are "code words" that are meant to invoke the idea that the accused is such a horrible person they don't deserve basic justice, or that we need to give up some essential liberty and change to a policy of fear. Decades ago it was OMG COMMUNIST which has been replaced by OMG TERRORIST in recent years, but THINK OF THE CHILDREN has long been a staple. We need to close all of these loopholes and realize that if we're serious about our principles, they have to apply as law even when dealing with potentially the worst. Otherwise its too convenient to simply have an easy "scarlet letter" to slap on dissidents, whistle blowers, and others who are found undesirable. This is not to say there aren't people out there really involved in the creation of child pornography and how to handle that is a separate issue entirely, but the idea that some bits and bytes on your hard drive would be illegal to possess in and of itself absolutely needs to go, especially when it is tied up so nicely with a bow that exploit's people's fear and anger.
 
Last edited:
Schulte also claimed that he reported "incompetent management and bureaucracy" at the CIA to that agency's inspector general as well as a congressional oversight committee. That painted him as a disgruntled employee, he said, and when he left the CIA in 2016, suspicion fell upon him as "the only one to have recently departed [the CIA engineering group] on poor terms," Schulte wrote


i can EASILY see the "incompetent management and bureaucracy" with an organization of that size.

and if the only thing they have on him is that he is the only one to have left recently.. thats pretty weak
 
I read a story awhile back about some dude the government wanted to get for tax evasion (iirc). They couldn't convict him on that, but managed to bring similar charges because he hosted a tor exit node.

Piss off the feds, and they'll probably find a way to get you; there's plenty of laws on the books, to help make sure of that.

Man, have we nailed this freedom thing, or what?

“There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”
 
child porn on his server? They won't need proof of any leaking to put him away for a very long time. Not wise to mess with the CIA
 
pretty obvious,
he either leaked the tools and they set him up on child porn.. or hes just the chosen fall guy for it all.
either way, hes fucked.
 
Back
Top