Dr. Andy Farnell Publishes Second Part of Series About Freedom Fighters (It Started With Richard Stallman)
Just over a month ago, in the opening part, Dr. Andy Farnell said: "Software Freedom was no small success. Although Stallman must share the glory with many other fighters, like Eric Raymond , Bruce Perens and Linus Torvalds, it became a movement and changed the world. The dotcom boom would not have happened without Free Software. Silicon Valley would not have happened without Free Software. Without those millions of hackers who wrote code "by the people, for the people", inspired by Richard Stallman, we'd have none of it."
A few minutes ago Dr. Farnell published the second part and here are some highlights: (or teasers/tasters)
Irregular or cold war is always preferable to a real scrap for obvious cost and risk benefits, so it's the first to start and last to fade during tensions. Arguably, business is a continuation by other means. I hope America will recover from its recent distress with crackpot wannabe techno-dictators. But let's think about how memories of truly desperate times help us see clearer the landscape for digital Resistance, specifically the project of keeping free democratic states functioning.[...]
Skip fanfare on industrial revolutions and inventing computers - one other thing about the British is we're very creative at mischief, and perhaps still excel at it in the world. Anyway, here is a shrine to trouble-making…
[...]
If you get caught, you're dead. No "oops, fluffed up my pentest", nor Edward Snowden "let's blow this fascist Popsicle stand" Rubik Cube in hand. Nor even Julian Assange style - stuck in an embassy for ten years covered in cat hairs while bullies listen and jeer at the window. You don't even get dragged into someones yard and shot like a dog. Not so lucky. No extraction team coming to rescue you. After any weapon you have, the thing to keep close is the suicide pill.
[...]
Why is this still important?
Seeing the risks and sacrifices of people defending against fascism leaves a powerful, lasting impression. At a time when the rule-of-law and democratic governance is wobbling we should heed these important memories. And we should have the courage, if only out of gratitude to our grandparents, to stand firm against greed-driven monsters and fascists of every kind.
Cybersecurity as a defence game, is to preserve democracy. At times that means red-team work to take down enemy assets, enter and destroy their systems, use honeypots to lure enemies into wasting resources, spread disinformation to sabotage opponents or put down poison for "AI" devouring our assets.
As we move into cyberwar we must understand that if this is motivated beyond base self-interest (profit), it cannot be criminal wherever one takes a sincere stand against forms of fascism, foreign or domestic. In fact, it is a duty. That is honourable and don't let anyone tell you otherwise or buy-in to defeatist propaganda about what is "inevitable" around technology or "what we must give up". Security is what you don't give up on. Vigilantism and civil militia, however undesirable those may be in a perfectly ordered society, is the last line of defence following invasion or coup.
[...]
For us as cyber-defenders, it's useful to have an understanding of insurgency, infiltration and sabotage, because even if we have no plans to engage in it, it informs our counter-insurgency mindset. We start seeing exposed supply lines and watering holes better.
We see that just as people can be deceptive, gain trust and infiltrate, so can software. So much software today is intrinsically treacherous that the very concept of a "Trojan" is hardly relevant. So many apps and devices are "Vendor Malware", from Chinese or American BigTech companies, where untrustworthiness is built-in because the software is backdoored, communicates secretly with a remote commander who orders its behaviour.
We accept software and devices as trusted friends and helpers, but in reality so much of it is working for an enemy to rob us of money or influence our behaviour. It must be contained, treated as hostile, and eliminated.
"Zero trust", in one of its guises, is permission to be a bit paranoid and to speculate that some of your close colleagues and assets may be enemy agents. Or that, at any time, they may not be who they claim. This is a sensible stance now as deepfake tech rapidly improved and made this a reality.
However, such sceptical, vigilant and territorial thinking becomes exhausting, socially corrosive and psychologically disruptive. We start seeing fifth columns everywhere. We don't want Zero Trust thinking to exacerbate that. Instead, Zero Trust is a symptom of our time, an indicator not a tactic. It's a bit of a retreat and digging-in. Part of our weakness in the West is that we have (arguably cultivated or had imposed on us) low mutual trust. Trust exists as an active relation, and cannot be bottled. At the same time we've forged unwarranted trust with many of the wrong entities like giant monopoly corporations and foreign manufacturers instead of with each other, our communities and elected, recognised government.
Forty years ago (defected) former KGB journalist Yuri Bezmenov explained precisely how this was being done to Western anglophone culture. Discord and "epistemic mistrust" are old weapons. For decades Vladimir Putin as advised by Vladislav Surkov (now dismissed and incarcerated) waged non-linear culture war, division, sapping and discombobulation. These same machinations, and tools for influence and propaganda have enabled Trump and his Silicon Valley technofascists to attempt an "electronic coup". The intruders just took over the superstructure and gave themselves permission. Like someone left a remote terminal open to Democracy, logged in as root.
It does not mention how Social Control Media became an actual weapon - something that should be perfectly obvious by now. The above says: "Discord and "epistemic mistrust" are old weapons. For decades Vladimir Putin as advised by Vladislav Surkov (now dismissed and incarcerated) waged non-linear culture war, division, sapping and discombobulation."
Sounds familiar? █