Government Shutdown Means Government Website Security Certs Aren't Being Renewed

from the it's-the-little-things dept

With all the news about the ongoing government shutdown and the big messes it has caused, it's creating lots of little messes with potentially big impact as well. For example, scammers and robocallers have upped their game during the shutdown, knowing that (1) there's no one investigating these scams right now, and (2) as I discovered when I tried to report one, the FTC has literally shut down the web portal where you used to be able to submit complaints.

Another one, however, pointed out last week by Netcraft, is the fact that government website security certificates are expiring... and there's no one around to renew them:

Dozens of U.S. government websites have been rendered either insecure or inaccessible during the ongoing U.S. federal shutdown. These sites include sensitive government payment portals and remote access services, affecting the likes of NASA, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Court of Appeals.

With around 400,000 federal employees currently furloughed, more than 80 TLS certificates used by .gov websites have so far expired without being renewed. To compound the situation, some of these abandoned websites can no longer be accessed due to strict security measures that were implemented long before the shutdown started.

As Netcraft notes, some of those sites you can't even get around the security warning, such as certain DOJ sites:

There are some government websites that you can click through on, but as Netcraft notes, this could allow for man-in-the-middle attacks or other security risks:

This introduces some realistic security concerns, as task-oriented users are more likely to ignore these security warnings, and will therefore render themselves vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.

If the shutdown continues for a while, this problem could get significantly worse. I know that Wall Street put pressure on the government to make certain IRS employees suddenly deemed "essential" to help Wall Street keep functioning smoothly, perhaps someone might want to deem the people renewing security certs similarly essential? Or, you know what, maybe just re-open the damn government.

Filed Under: encryption, government shutdown, https, security certificates, tls

FCC Shuttered, Ajit Pai Forced To Cancel CES Trip Because The US Government Is a Hot Mess

from the dumpster-fire dept

As you've probably noticed, the bickering over a dumb fence most attentive folks realize will never be fully funded or built has resulted in the government partially shutting down, leaving roughly 800,000 government employees furloughed without pay. As garbage and human waste begin to pile up at our under-staffed park system, the FCC this week also announced it would be suspending all but the most essential operations as of last Thursday, with 1,197 of the FCC’s 1,442 employees now left unpaid.

According to the FCC, all investigations into fraud (admittedly few and far between with this FCC), merger review, management of spectrum, and approval and testing of new electronics will grind to a halt. And while the agency's 911 and network outage complaint systems will remain operational, there will be nobody staffing the agency to respond to consumer or company complaints. The agency did note that things like its ongoing spectrum auction would continue, since the auction is funded by spectrum sale proceeds:

"However, work required for the protection of life and property will continue, as will any work related to spectrum auctions, which is funded by auction proceeds. In addition, the Office of the Inspector General will continue operations until further notice."

While he'll obviously be hamstrung by a lack of resources, Ajit Pai will continue to work, though the shutdown forced him to cancel a scheduled appearance at CES in Las Vegas. It's technically the second year in a row the FCC boss has had to cancel his planned CES appearance, since last year's visit was also scuttled after Pai began receiving death threats due to his historically-unpopular attacks on consumer protections like net neutrality.

Worry not though! Pai took to Twitter to joke that he'll still be around to thwart the use of naughty words on television:

While many will likely (and quite correctly) joke that a shuttered Pai FCC isn't likely to be much different from an operational Pai FCC given his apathy toward actually doing anything to help consumers or small businesses, the 1,197 FCC employees currently not getting paid over an idiotic fight over metal slats likely aren't finding this all that funny. And while a shutdown of a few days probably won't be all that big of a deal, a longer shutdown is going to spell trouble not just for Pai's unpopular agenda, but also for the oodles of notably less controversial, frequently mundane but essential tasks the FCC engage in on a daily basis.

Filed Under: ajit pai, ces, fcc, government shutdown, indecency

GitHub Bug Opened: Government Occasionally Shuts Down; Conflicting Error Messages

from the expected-result:-government-should-be-working dept

Via Brian Walsh, we learn of a rather amusing bug report that's been opened on GitHub by Dave Rupert: BUG: Government occasionally shuts down. Rupert's bug report is both dead on, and quite hilarious:

I noticed a bug over the past week or so and it seems reproducible:

1. Go to U.S. Government.
2. U.S. Government is shut down.

Expected results: Government should be working.

I'm unable to debug or propose a fix since there's not an open, transparent stack trace. Conflicting error messages are being thrown as well.

Hope you can resolve this soon. It would seem that the U.S. Government would value 100% uptime in order to be a reliable and trustworthy source for the rest of the world.

Thanks! Love this project and would like to continue using it.

Tragically, no one has been assigned to fix it.

Filed Under: bugs, github, government shutdown

GOG Working Their Publicity Magic Via The Government Shutdown

from the idle-hands dept

I'm not sure if you heard, but the United States government has been shut down, or has been "slimmed down," or is partially funded, or whatever some talking noggin on your favorite cable news network has told you this news cycle. Terror is being expressed, much talk has been made over the dire consequences, and everyone is looking for someone to blame as our government pulls its latest hissy-fit slap-fight instead of being productive. Yay, democracy. Anyway, the result is a great many furloughed government employees with their retroactive pay guaranteed and a whole lot of self-reflection time on their hands.

No worries, because retro-gaming website Good Old Games is here to help. They've decided to make the further assclown-ery of our esteemed elected lizard-people a sort of theme for their latest publicity stunt. They're going halvsies with customers on game titles like Capitalism 2 and Theme Hospital. But the deal is even better if you're one of those furloughed folks on the government teet.

Finally, we would like to express our condolences to everyone who's been furloughed by the shutdown. More than that, actually, we'd like to offer you the games pack of our special Shutdown Promo for free. Send an email to thanksobama@gog.com with your picture holding the official furlough letter you received, before Friday 11 October 2013 at 12:00 EDT and we'll give you The Guild: Gold Edition, Capitalism, Capitalism 2, Tropico: Gold Edition, Alpha Centauri + Alien Crossfire, Theme Hospital, and Redneck Rampage free.

GOG, which has experimented with some forward-thinking promotions in the past, really knows how to turn government ineptitude into an opportunity. Yes, this is an obvious publicity stunt. Yes, I'm helping that stunt by writing this article. But I don't care, because the prospect of government employees essentially getting retroactively paid to play games based on healthcare, government, and capitalism, all of which they're getting for free, is the kind of recursive irony that tastes as good as a cut of prime rib.

So if you're sitting at home because our two party system has melted into a massive talking-points circle-jerk, pass the time by playing some games for free. And know that we Americans all appreciate the work you aren't doing thanks to the weirdos we all sent to Washington.

Filed Under: games, government shutdown, promotions
Companies: gog, good old games

Congress' Members-Only Gym Deemed Essential, So It Remains Open During Government Shutdown

from the out-of-touch dept

While the government shutdown continues, I've joked that it seems like all of the parts of the government that I think should be closed have remained open, while the parts that I actually find useful seem to have been shutdown. The whole "essential" vs. "non-essential" distinction often seems fairly arbitrary. Now, ThinkProgress has shown what may be the most ridiculous of all: the "members-only" gym for Congressional Representatives has been deemed "essential" and thus remains open. Apparently the gym for Congressional staffers is different, and that one is closed. But, of course, the Members get special treatment, and that includes having a nice clean gym while the rest of the country suffers.

A House aide confirmed to ThinkProgress that the House member’s gym is open. The House gym features a swimming pool, basketball courts, paddleball courts, a sauna, a steam room and flat screen TVs. While towel service is unavailable, taxpayers remain on the hook for cleaning and maintenance, which has been performed daily throughout the shutdown. There are also costs associated with the power required to heat the pools and keep the lights on.

According to the aide, the decision to keep the gym open — even while other critical government services were shelved — came directly from Speaker Boehner’s office. Meanwhile, the staff gym available to Congressional staff has been closed.

So in case you were wondering if the government shutdown was cutting into your Reps' treadmill time, rest assured that your taxpayer dollars are helping to keep them in shape.

Filed Under: congress, essential, government shutdown, gym

Tech Companies Lawsuit Over Transparency Concerning NSA Surveillance Put On Hold Due To Government Shutdown

from the please-hold... dept

This is hardly a surprise, but it appears that the tech companies' lawsuit against the federal government, in which they're arguing a First Amendment right to reveal details (at least in terms of numbers) related to NSA information requests, has been put on hold. The DOJ told the court that the government shutdown means that its lawyers really can't work on the case and the Court has agreed to put the case on hold until the government is up and running again. It has also told the feds to declassify yet another court ruling concerning the interpretation of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, though it will let that wait until after the government opens up again too.

Filed Under: first amendment, government shutdown, nsa, nsa surveillance, transparency
Companies: dropbox, google, linkedin, microsoft, yahoo

James Clapper Thinks That NSA Employees Will Sell Out Our Nation After A Few Days Without A Paycheck

from the the-NSA-is-everything-you-need-it-to-be...-and-less dept

With the government shutdown entering its second week, there's been a lot of discussion (and disagreement -- mostly disagreement) as to what constitutes an "essential" service. To many in the intelligence field, that question has already been answered -- anything related to "national security" remains essential.

According to James Clapper, nearly 70% of the intelligence workforce has been furloughed. The recently-passed Pay Our Military Act should put most of those civilian contractors back to work, but early last week, Clapper was very, very concerned about the damaging effects a layoff could have.

"I've been in the intelligence business for about 50 years. I've never seen anything like this," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, referring to the government shutdown, told lawmakers Wednesday. "This seriously damages our ability to protect the safety and security of this nation and its citizens. … The damage will be insidious."

Fifty years, and yet he missed the 21-day shutdown in 1995/96. This mental lapse notwithstanding, we're talking about a statement made by Clapper all of two days into the shutdown, a count that had been exceeded five times by federal shutdowns since 1981.

Moving on, Clapper expounded on how exactly a shutdown would harm national security. It's not so much that the massive servers might be powered down temporarily or that it might not be able to write checks to telcos and tech companies for backdoor rentals. No, the real problem is that a single missed paycheck is all that stands between any NSA contractor and complete subversion by foreign agencies.

Then Clapper made this dire warning: "This is a dreamland for foreign intelligence services to recruit, particularly as employees -- already many of whom are subject to furloughs driven by sequestration -- are going to have … even greater financial challenges."

According to Clapper, our national security is reliant on uninterrupted payments to a mercenary group of extortionate contractors. A few missed paychecks is a risk this country simply can't take, not if we're going to stay ahead of the terrorists.

This sort of statement from Clapper has to do wonders for troop morale. "Hey, guys! The boss says we're all just opportunistic jerks with no loyalty and the willingness to sell out an entire nation if Uncle Sam doesn't keep topping off the bank account."

This paints a very different picture of the average intelligence analyst than the comparatively glowing portrait former NSA director Michael Hayden whipped up for a CNN interviewer while dodging the "ability" question.

"What I'm saying is don't just trust the NSA. We have a workforce there that has the same values the rest of the American population has."

According to Clapper, the American population values a continued paycheck more than it values loyalty and would gladly sell out its employer (and nation) rather than consider other options like short-term unemployment, job hunting or cutting expenses. If that's how Clapper views the civilians the NSA employees, the biggest surprise is that, so far, only Snowden has skipped town with a few hard drives' worth of documents.

Hayden, on the other hand, seems to feel NSA analysts are just Americans with bigger, faster computers and a frighteningly in-depth search engine. They're people just like us, who would never, ever consider exceeding their "authorization," no matter what amazing "abilities" the system provides.

But these are both just the same argument, which is: "Don't touch the NSA." The NSA's analysts aren't either of the reductionist extremes deployed above, but that's hardly conducive to fending off attacks on their beloved agency. The rhetorical analysts are simply there to be repurposed as needed.

Filed Under: government shutdown, james clapper, loyalty, michael hayden, nsa, nsa surveillance

Russian Pirates Offer To Host NASA's Website While US Government Is Shutdown

from the adopt-a-us-gov't-webiste dept

The government shutdown leading to various government websites being taken offline has been the subject of much mocking. But, for people who rely on those websites, it can be quite a nuisance. So perhaps it's time to start an "adopt a federal website" program, where others are willing to host the downed websites until such time as the government gets its act together. It appears that the Russian Pirate Party has kicked all this off by offering to host NASA's downed website. The full statement on the party's website is somewhat amusing:

To NASA, USA
from Pirate Party of Russia

Dear Madame/Sir,

We do care about the situation around your web site and the budget crisis in USA. Thereby we would like to offer you bulletproof collocation or dedicated servers on our hosting platform till the end of the crisis. We stand for Internet privacy, and as the result you would not have to worry about programs such as PRISM and other illegal activities of secret services of different countries. Your traffic, your activity and the activity of your users will be in safety.

We love Mars!

Perhaps we can set up an crowdfunding campaign to get this kind of thing moving.

Filed Under: government shutdown, pirate party, russia, websites

9-Year-Old Sneaks Onto Flight; TSA Blames The Government Shutdown, Then Says It Did Its Job Just Fine

from the because-you-gotta-blame-someone dept

You may have seen this story making the rounds about a 9-year-old boy somehow getting through multiple layers of security at an airport in Minnesota to get aboard a flight to Las Vegas. It appears that there were multiple lapses here. The kid got through the TSA security checkpoint without a ticket. He got onto the plane without a ticket. The plane then took off without anyone noticing that (1) the plane had too many passengers and (2) he wasn't on their list of unaccompanied minors (something they noticed mid-flight). The TSA's response was initially to blame the the government shutdown:

WCCO contacted the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Sunday morning, during which a spokesperson said staffing is currently low due to the number of employees furloughed in the wake of the federal government shutdown.

A few hours later, the TSA responded again, trying a different strategy. Apparently someone realized that nearly all TSA agents at security checks are still on the job, even if their pay is deferred. So, with a second shot at this, rather than blame the government shutdown, the TSA's strategy is to claim it did everything it was supposed to:

“The child was screened along with all other passengers to ensure that he was not a threat to the aircraft,” said the TSA spokesperson.

Someone else in the article also notes that the TSA's job is to make sure that the people passing through security are "not a threat," and not whether or not they're supposed to board the plane. That's an interesting argument, but doesn't make much sense. I fly fairly frequently, and these days every single time I fly there are two TSA agents who review the boarding pass before you make it through security (one as you enter security who mainly makes sure you have a boarding pass for a flight through that security checkpoint, and the second who checks your IDs and is supposed to verify that the boarding pass is legit).

Of course, these kinds of lapses aren't unheard of. In the past it used to be much easier. Comedian/actor Molly Shannon has told her story a few times about how when she was a little girl she was able to sneak onto a plane to NY (after her father suggested she try it). But that was back when airport/airline security was a lot lower. Either way, it's pretty ridiculous for the TSA to blame the government shutdown for such a lapse. People have long argued that the TSA is more "security theater" than anything else -- giving you the appearance of security, rather than any actual protections -- and this seems to support that theory.

Filed Under: flights, government shutdown, kids, security theater, stowaways, tsa

Former CIA Director Morell Skips Surveillance Review Board Meeting; Pats Self On Back For Not 'Distracting' Congress From Shutdown

from the taking-one-for-the-team dept

Former CIA director Michael Morell has decided that the Surveillance Review Board (SRB) shouldn't meet again until the government shutdown is over. The board met last Tuesday with members of the Senate and Congress, but Morell opted out and took his high horse out for a spin.

“I simply thought that it was inappropriate for our group to continue working while the vast majority of the men and women of the intelligence community are being forced to remain off the job,” Morell said Saturday in response to a query from POLITICO. “While the work we’re doing is important, it is no more important than - and quite frankly a lot less important - than a lot of the work being left undone by the government shutdown, both in the intelligence community and outside the intelligence community.”

Showing solidarity for furloughed government workers would be somewhat admirable if a) he hadn't decided to speak for the board and declare its work unimportant and b) he had been a bit more of an active participant in the first set of meetings.

The debut of the SRB featured a pair of meetings. The first meeting, held at the White House and featuring mainly by tech industry lawyers, was attended by Morell. The second meeting, held a few blocks away from the White House and featuring representatives from civil liberties groups like ACLU and EPIC, was skipped by Morell (and former Bush anti-terrorism chief Richard Clarke).

Arguably, the SRB shouldn't have to miss any meetings. Certainly, representatives from the intelligence community should be available. The Pay Our Military Act (POMA), which was rushed through the House and the Senate last week, authorized the uninterrupted payment nearly all civilian Defense personnel, under which the NSA's civilian workers fall. (So much for Morell's laborious lament that so many in the intelligence community are "forced to remain off the job…") The SRB reports directly to James Clapper, meaning it would fall under this purview as well. But that ultimately doesn't matter as the board is unpaid. The travel expenses, however, are no longer covered.

Despite being a day into the shutdown, the panel met last Tuesday -- without Morell.

The Review Group’s meeting with Congressional leaders on Tuesday went forward without Morell. Feinstein and the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, attended the session, according to a Senate aide. House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) also took part, a House aide confirmed.

Morell said part of his decision to bow out last week was driven by the desire not to distract members of Congress and their staff from what he believes should be their No. 1 priority. “I just firmly felt Congress should be focused on one thing and one thing only, which is ending the shutdown,” he said.

Once the government is back up and running, it will be interesting to see if Morell can come up with more excuses to stay disengaged from the SRB. So far, he's skipped two out of the first three meetings -- not exactly a sign he's thrilled with the position. But, as Morell takes pains to point out, this isn't (just) because he doesn't think the SRB has an important job to do, it's that there's so much more out there that deserves time, attention and money.

“How could this be more important than kids starting cancer trials at NIH?” Morell asked.

Ah, cancer: the Hitler of the pathology field. Nothing shuts down an argument no one was making like comparing Pursuit A with "curing cancer." I don't think anybody implied the SRB's work was more important than treating and studying cancer, especially picturesque, tear-jerking kid cancer. In fact, I find it hard to believe anyone did anything more than ask Morell why he didn't attend Tuesday's meeting. But let's spin that for second: is returning hundreds of NSA and CIA civilian contractors to work more important than starting pediatric cancer trials? If not, then maybe Morell should use his free time to hassle every single member of the House and Senate for passing POMA rather than finding a way to restart the government or secure funding for cancer trials.

I don't mind if the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and SRB have to take time off during the government shutdown. It's somewhat annoying that the surveillance will continue unabated (including domestic surveillance) but "national security" continues to trump everything, so it's hardly a surprise. What bothers me is when someone clearly uninterested in the job at hand portrays it as though his self-serving absence is borne of clarity, objectiveness and vast stores of empathy. It's even more annoying when the portrayal trots out "poor furloughed government workers" and "pediatric cancer" as set dressing.

Filed Under: government shutdown, michael morell, nsa review, surveillance, surveillance review board