By now, most of our readers have heard of the Shadow Brokers, the hacker group who obtained a large trove of data from the National Security Agency (NSA) and leaked information about the NSA’s cyber tools. The cyber tools were apparently stolen from the Equation Group, a cyber attack operation who experts believe are part of the NSA.
(Watch a quick overview about the NSA hack – “NSA Reportedly Hacked By Group Called The Shadow Brokers”):
Initially, evidence suggested that the Shadow Brokers were Russian, but a new theory is emerging that whoever is leaking this data might be “a second Edward Snowden… albeit one with different motives” (Fortune). James Bamfield, a journalist who is well known for his publications about United States intelligence agencies, believes that Russia would not want to publish these hacks if they obtained them, because companies would quickly patch their vulnerabilities and the information would soon be worthless to anyone trying to sell the data. He also brings up that the bad English used by the hackers seems to be phony. Furthermore, he suggests that the hacker(s) could be linked to the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations (TAO) which is a unit of the surveillance agency that gathers intelligence related to cyber-warfare. He states:
“Rather than the NSA hacking tools being snatched as a result of a sophisticated cyber operation by Russia or some other nation, it seems more likely that an employee stole them. Experts who have analyzed the files suspect that they date to October 2013, five months after Edward Snowden left his contractor position with the NSA and fled to Hong Kong carrying flash drives containing hundreds of thousands of pages of NSA documents.
So, if Snowden could not have stolen the hacking tools, there are indications that after he departed in May 2013, someone else did, possibly someone assigned to the agency’s highly sensitive Tailored Access Operations” (Reuters).
As of now, the “second Snowden” theory is just that – a theory. Most experts still say Russia is behind the hacks. Nevertheless, as Bamford puts it in his commentary – the “NSA may prove to be one of Washington’s greatest liabilities rather than assets.”
The post Are The Shadow Brokers Like Snowden? Theory Suggests Insider Hack appeared first on Social Hax.
Origins of reciprocal altruismDuring most of our evolutionary history, hunting was the main activity for procuring food. But success from hunting was unpredictable and erratic. One week a hunter would obtain more meat than required and another week he’d acquire nothing at all. Add to this the fact that meat can’t be stored for long and is easily spoiled. Our hunter ancestors therefore could only survive if they somehow ensured a continual supply of food. This generated selection pressure for reciprocal altruism, meaning that those who had mutual altruistic tendencies were more likely to survive and out-reproduce those who did not have such tendencies. Those who were helped, helped others in the future. Therefore, altruistic tendencies are widespread amongst today’s humans.Reciprocal altruism is found in the animal kingdom too. Chimpanzees, our closest cousins, form alliances to boost their chances of survival and reproduction. A dominant male-male alliance in chimps is likely to out-reproduce other males.Vampire bats that suck cattle blood at night don’t always succeed. It has been observed that these bats provide regurgitated blood to their ‘friends’ when they’re in dire need. These ‘friends’ are bats who had provided them with blood in the past! They form close associations with each other even though they’re unrelated.Shadow of the futureReciprocal altruism is likely to occur when there’s a large shadow of the future. If the other person thinks that they’ll be interacting with you frequently in the extended future, then they have a strong incentive to be altruistic towards you. They expect you’ll be altruistic towards them in the future too.On the other hand, if the other person thinks that they won’t be interacting with you for long (i.e. a small shadow of the future), then there seems to be no point in being altruistic. This is one reason why most friendships in schools and colleges happen at the beginning of the academic year and not when the course is nearing its end.At the beginning, students seek other students who might benefit them during the course. There’s simply no point in making friends when you’re hardly going to interact in the future. If it looks like a friend is going to be altruistic towards you beyond college, then you’re likely to form a lifelong bond with that friend. If a friend has helped you a lot in the past and so have you, then you’re likely to form a lifelong friendship with them because you’ve both already demonstrated your respective commitment to reciprocal altruism.When there’s no future to look forward to, chances of reciprocal altruism are less. It’s all about mutual benefit.