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THE NATIONAL SECURITY Agency knows Edward Snowden disclosed many of its innermost secrets when he revealed how aggressive its surveillance tactics are. What it doesn't know is just how much information the whistle-blower took with him when he left.
For all of its ability to track our telecommunications, the NSA seemingly has little clue exactly what documents, or even how many documents, Snowden gave to the media. Like most large organizations, the NSA had tools in place to track who accessed what data and when. But Snowden, a system administrator, apparently was able to cover his tracks by deleting or modifying the log files that tracked that access.
An Estonian company called Guardtime says it has a solution to that: using the same ideas that underpin the digital currency Bitcoin, the company says it can ensure no one can alter digital files, not even an organization's most senior executives or IT managers. The idea is to stop the next Snowden in his tracks by making it impossible to tamper with data, such as the NSA log files, in secret.
Original Submission
(Score: 5, Insightful) by physicsmajor on Friday June 05 2015, @12:29AM
Sounds like a great idea. Until they realize that such a system would hold those senior execs & IT managers to the same standards as everyone else.
What they really wants is everyone else's data, but the ability to ghost theirs at will.
(Score: 1) by rliegh on Friday June 05 2015, @01:25AM
The first thing I thought of when I read the summary was the Watergate Tapes. The absolutely last thing authorities want is an unalterable digital trail which can be used against them.
I just tell 'em the truth and they think it's trolling!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday June 05 2015, @01:27AM
quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
And who reads the unfalsifiable above-top-secret log?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by davester666 on Friday June 05 2015, @07:48AM
Did Snowden "tamper" with the data? As in, modify it in some way.
Everything I have read indicates that he copied it.
So, this would help in verifying that the information someone copies is legit.
Excellent.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday June 05 2015, @01:22PM
He modified the logs of the accessed data it seems.
Kind of "vi /var/log/messages"..
(Score: 2) by Snow on Friday June 05 2015, @02:51PM
No, I think the idea is that you take a copy of the log file, hash it, and then insert the hash into the blockchain. The integrity of the .log file can then be verified against the hash signature in the blockchain to confirm that it hasn't been altered. This would make it impossible to cover your tracks by altering .log files after the fact without it being detected.
(Score: 2) by Snow on Friday June 05 2015, @02:51PM
Ugh, just reread your comment... Sorry, I think I need more coffee.