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(2013 News) Kremlin returns to typewriters to avoid computer leaks
Telegraph UK ^ | 11 Jul 2013 | By Chris Irvine, Tom Parfitt in Moscow and agencies

Posted on 01/01/2017 5:24:11 PM PST by 11th_VA

The Kremlin is returning to typewriters in an attempt to avoid damaging leaks from computer hardware, it has been claimed.

A source at Russia's Federal Guard Service (FSO), which is in charge of safeguarding Kremlin communications and protecting President Vladimir Putin, claimed that the return to typewriters has been prompted by the publication of secret documents by WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website, as well as Edward Snowden, the fugitive US intelligence contractor.

The FSO is looking to spend 486,000 roubles – around £10,000 – on a number of electric typewriters, according to the site of state procurement agency, zakupki.gov.ru. The notice included ribbons for German-made Triumph Adlew TWEN 180 typewriters, although it was not clear if the typewriters themselves were this kind.

The service declined to comment on the notice, which was posted last week.

However an FSO source told Izvestiya newspaper: “After scandals with the distribution of secret documents by WikiLeaks, the exposes by Edward Snowden, reports about Dmitry Medvedev being listened in on during his visit to the G20 summit in London, it has been decided to expand the practice of creating paper documents.”

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


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KEYWORDS: russia
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Interesting ...
1 posted on 01/01/2017 5:24:11 PM PST by 11th_VA
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To: 11th_VA

Commodore 64s would probably be OK.


2 posted on 01/01/2017 5:25:51 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (President Trump is coming, and the rule of law is coming with him.)
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To: 11th_VA

Or use old 8-bit computers so you can have some word processing ability with internet connectivity crippled at best.


3 posted on 01/01/2017 5:26:55 PM PST by Snickering Hound
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To: 11th_VA

Yeah. The Russians fear that someone might hack in and try to manipulate their elections....


4 posted on 01/01/2017 5:38:18 PM PST by hecticskeptic
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To: Snickering Hound

IBM Selectrics for the win.


5 posted on 01/01/2017 5:38:51 PM PST by ARGLOCKGUY
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To: 11th_VA

There is just something satisfying about old tech. Didn’t I just read on here recently that McAfee uses an early cell phone for security reasons?

It’s interesting how the farther back you go, the more reliable and secure are the storage media. To wit:

-stone / clay tablets
-metallic engravings
-papyrus
-paper
-photographs
-vinyl records
-magnetic tape / hard disk
-CD rom
-DVD
-digital / electronic

Each one seems to have become less permanent than the last. Imagine 500 years from now, archeologists trying to figure out what is on a floppy disk...


6 posted on 01/01/2017 5:41:57 PM PST by Ragnar Danneskjöld
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To: 11th_VA

When high tech fails, old school - rules!


7 posted on 01/01/2017 5:43:09 PM PST by AFreeBird (BEST. ELECTION. EVER!)
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To: Ragnar Danneskjöld

Next: carbon paper hacking


8 posted on 01/01/2017 5:43:56 PM PST by bigbob (We have better coverage than Verizon - Can You Hear Us Now?)
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To: ARGLOCKGUY

Maybe not.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/10/how-soviets-used-ibm-selectric-keyloggers-to-spy-on-us-diplomats/


9 posted on 01/01/2017 5:45:37 PM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: 11th_VA

The Hill reports that Trump is considering using couriers - and not email - to send sensitive information.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/312334-trumps-solution-to-cyberattacks-write-it-down-and-send-it-by


10 posted on 01/01/2017 5:48:47 PM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: AFreeBird

I bought a portable manual typewriter from an estate sale for $30 or so.

The case was worn but the typewriter looked almost new. There was a little wear on a couple of the letters. It seemed to work OK.

I also got an old timey hand crank adding machine that weighs a ton and has wooden rollers on it. The thing seems functional. It must weigh 60 to 70 pounds and eats up some space.

The sale was from a house down the street. I bought the stuff on the third day.

The house was for sale too. I loved the wide open floor plan but the interior screamed late 70s. If we sold our house for even close to what it’s worth, everything would have had to go into the new place up to par.

A couple of weeks later when the floods and winds came through, a really big pine fell on the roof. At least no one was there.


11 posted on 01/01/2017 5:52:16 PM PST by wally_bert (I didn't get where I am today by selling ice cream tasting of bookends, pumice stone & West Germany)
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To: 11th_VA

iPhones make printed document transmission trivial.


12 posted on 01/01/2017 6:06:58 PM PST by Paladin2 (No spellcheck. It's too much work to undo the auto wrong word substitution on mobile devices.)
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To: bigbob

Typer-writer ribbon hacking....


13 posted on 01/01/2017 6:09:02 PM PST by Paladin2 (No spellcheck. It's too much work to undo the auto wrong word substitution on mobile devices.)
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To: 11th_VA

Trump said that sensitive documents should be put on paper and couriered to avoid hacking when the press asked him about hacking yesterday.


14 posted on 01/01/2017 6:14:40 PM PST by jospehm20
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To: bigbob

That reminds me of a story a friend of mine, who is in his 70’s, told me about when he was a Yeoman in the Navy. One of his jobs, as he had a top secret clearance, was to over see the disposal and burning of all the type writer ribbons used in his office.


15 posted on 01/01/2017 6:30:46 PM PST by BBell (calm down and eat your sandwiches)
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To: ARGLOCKGUY

Those were good typewriters. I miss the electric typewriters. I still have my daddy’s manual typewriter.


16 posted on 01/01/2017 6:37:34 PM PST by Patriot Babe
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To: BBell

Old school. There were still procedures to deal with ribbons and carbons etc...


17 posted on 01/01/2017 7:05:12 PM PST by Clutch Martin (Hot sauce aside, every culture has its pancake, just as every culture has its egg roll.)
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To: 11th_VA

The Russians should not be too quick in implementing this idea.

Remember, there are whiz kids out there that will figure a way to hack a typewriter. After all Jill Stein was certain paper ballots were hacked with floppy discs.

Seriously, they can still use just about any computer they want. Just fix it so it can never be connected to any internet or intranet.


18 posted on 01/01/2017 7:09:39 PM PST by redfreedom
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To: Patriot Babe

I had a boat anchor Underwood and then a small portable briefcase sized. It was much different. Oh, and the desktop processor was a
a Websters dictionary and a Harbrace Grammer handbook.


19 posted on 01/01/2017 7:09:58 PM PST by Clutch Martin (Hot sauce aside, every culture has its pancake, just as every culture has its egg roll.)
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To: 11th_VA; null and void; aragorn; EnigmaticAnomaly; kalee; TWhiteBear; WildHighlander57; Velveeta; ..

Raise your R. hand if you've never used a typewriter.
Raise your L. hand if you've never heard of a "typewriter".

20 posted on 01/01/2017 7:35:54 PM PST by LucyT (>>>> "You're not paranoid, they want you dead." <<<<)
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