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Chinese Spies Use Fake Facebook Pages to Gain Intel
Defense Tech ^ | 3/12/2012 | Defense Tech

Posted on 03/12/2012 7:58:06 PM PDT by U-238

We’re always hearing about high-end cyber epionage but sometimes, enemy spies can steal military secrets without investing a ton of time or money breaking into Pentagon networks. In fact, Chinese spies just used a fake Fasebook account to get personal information from a ton of NATO officials. Yup, Chinese spies set up a face Facebook page for Adm. James Stavridis, chief of U.S. European Command and fooled a bunch of high-ranking military officials into friending the fake admiral and sharing info with them.

This is a pretty common move, just a couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a senior military officer who said that he and his staff had found a fake Facebook profile for him.

Late last year, senior British military officers, Defense Ministry officials, and other government officials were tricked into becoming Facebook friends with someone masquerading as United States Navy admiral James Stavridis. By doing so, they exposed their own personal information (such as private e-mail addresses, phone numbers, pictures, the names of family members, and possibly even the details of their movements), to unknown spies.

If you feel like the name is familiar, it should be. Stavridis happens to be the current Commander, U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). It’s really no coincidence he was chosen as the one to fake a Facebook profile of.

Stavridis uses Facebook quite a bit. For example, in October 2011 he used his Facebook account to tell the world of his intent to end the organization’s mission in Libya.

NATO officials are reluctant to publicly state who was behind the attack, but The Telegraph says China is to blame. The publication quotes classified briefings in which military officers and diplomats were told the evidence pointed to “state-sponsored individuals in China.”

(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; cyberspace; espionage; facebook; nato; socialnetworks

1 posted on 03/12/2012 7:58:10 PM PDT by U-238
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To: U-238

I might have expected Chinese to set up honey traps on Facebook, but to brazenly impersonate an officer and get his actual friends to share classified or higher stuff on FACEBOOK?!? FACEBOOK?!? It would not have mattered if that was really him; US defense secrets are not appropriate matter for FACEBOOK!!!


2 posted on 03/12/2012 8:02:52 PM PDT by raccoonnookkeeper
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To: U-238

I’d comment, but I’m on the Nut Job Conspiracy Ping List. So I think it’s best to leave this one alone.


3 posted on 03/12/2012 8:03:58 PM PDT by ILS21R (Never give up.)
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To: U-238
Stavridis uses Facebook quite a bit. For example, in October 2011 he used his Facebook account to tell the world of his intent to end the organization’s mission in Libya.

Curiouser and curiouser. This sounds like the real Stavridis, not the phony one. Unless he closed his account down, how could the Chinese do this right under his nose?

4 posted on 03/12/2012 8:05:23 PM PDT by raccoonnookkeeper
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To: U-238

China gets a lot of information, just by being clever in looking for what’s available publicly.


5 posted on 03/12/2012 8:10:37 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults.)
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To: raccoonnookkeeper

It’s ok. I’m sure they “de-friended” the Chinese as soon as they found out.


6 posted on 03/12/2012 8:12:10 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: U-238

Comrad, we make contact with American, code name Bambi. She have contact with code name Bombshell.


7 posted on 03/12/2012 8:16:01 PM PDT by Lauren BaRecall (I declare for Santorum)
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To: U-238
hinese spies set up a face Facebook page for Adm. James Stavridis, chief of U.S. European Command and fooled a bunch of high-ranking military officials into friending the fake admiral and sharing info with them.

Thereby proving that common sense is not one of the requirements for becoming a high-ranking military official. Teenage girls also give away information on Facebook and later wish they could take it back, but usually their information isn't classified.
8 posted on 03/12/2012 8:17:42 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Joe 6-pack

If your dogs got into some gook that you kept around, would that make you a doggookkeeper? /offsubject


9 posted on 03/12/2012 8:17:46 PM PDT by raccoonnookkeeper
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To: raccoonnookkeeper

10 posted on 03/12/2012 8:26:00 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Joe 6-pack

“It’s ok. I’m sure they “de-friended” the Chinese as soon as they found out.”

LOL! Best answer!


11 posted on 03/12/2012 8:27:28 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

I agree. He should be relieved of his duties.


12 posted on 03/12/2012 8:27:48 PM PDT by U-238
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To: Joe 6-pack

this is who?


13 posted on 03/12/2012 8:29:45 PM PDT by raccoonnookkeeper (I keep raccoons in a nook!)
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To: raccoonnookkeeper

Who's on first.

14 posted on 03/12/2012 8:32:29 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: U-238

Well... it ain’t clear what went on. For a while Stavridis (sp?) was on Facebook and announced some things, but then it seems he left Facebook and Chinese spies resurrected that or a similar account. Although he ought to have suspected something (surely his colleagues would have begun to talk in person about Facebooking him, whereupon he would have gone “HUH??”), it’s his “friends” that had the loose lips that threatened to sink ships.


15 posted on 03/12/2012 8:34:00 PM PDT by raccoonnookkeeper (I keep raccoons in a nook!)
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To: U-238

Why the hell are these so called higher ups so stupid???? Since when do you friend someone and then share sensitive information with them???? Lord Almighty we are going to be overrun and these dolts won’t even know it happened til the hackers change their Facebook status.


16 posted on 03/12/2012 10:24:59 PM PDT by Nifster
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To: Nifster
Why the hell are these so called higher ups so stupid????

They are politicians not soldiers. They probably have a nice office at NATO headquarters in Brussels with a good looking secretary.
17 posted on 03/12/2012 11:30:15 PM PDT by U-238
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To: raccoonnookkeeper

“It would not have mattered if that was really him; US defense secrets are not appropriate matter for FACEBOOK!!!”

You’re right; the people involved should be prosecuted as though they were civilians sharing the same intel the same way.


18 posted on 03/13/2012 4:17:32 AM PDT by kearnyirish2
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To: U-238

Got that right. They act like a bunch of 14 year girls....giggle giggle i know something you don’t know....the sissification of our military


19 posted on 03/13/2012 9:29:07 AM PDT by Nifster
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