back to article Retired 4-star general probed over Stuxnet details leak - report

A retired general has been named as the target of a US Department of Justice probe into the release of confidential information about the Stuxnet virus. An NBC report claimed that James Cartwright, a retired US Marine Corps four star general, was under investigation for allegedly leaking details of the virus. Unnamed legal …

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  1. The BigYin

    Let me get this straight

    It's "OK" for the USA to spy on everyone (even USAian) but it's not OK for China et al to do the same?

    I had respect for Obama once, no more.

    What can be done about these politicians (Obama, Cameron...) who have no respect for their nation, culture or people?

    1. Psyx
      Mushroom

      Re: Let me get this straight

      "I had respect for Obama once, no more."

      Do you honestly believe that it was completely his call or - more crucially - that it wasn't going on beforehand.

      By all means be angry at your government, but don't be partisan about it when it's a wider issue.

      1. The BigYin

        Re: Let me get this straight

        I know it's been going on since about 1985 - but I would not have expected Obama to accelerate the intrusion and oppression of freedom.

      2. Ally 1

        Re: Let me get this straight

        If OP is anything like me, he is not blaming Obama for everything, but disappointed because I seriously expected things to get better under him, not worse. He's been under a lot of pressure from congress, but there's no excuse for his spying, war on whistleblowers and breaking of promises.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Let me get this straight

      "What can be done about these politicians "

      Given that in both the US and UK, the two main parties who alternate in office have broadly speaking identical policies, the answer is much not. If the current lot were turned out, their Republican and Labour replacements would pursue the same illiberal control freak policies, and continue to line their pockets and those of their friends.

      It does suggest that Western democracy is fundamentally broken. It's easy to blame the politicians, but you also need to blame those who slavishly vote for one party of other without inspecting their policies and track record. An alternative explanantion is that democracy isn't broken, and the masses want high deficit spending, their communications monitoring.

      What can you do about it? Easy - don't vote for the main parties,and be prepared to tolerate a bit of chaos if UKIP, Scots or Welsh Nationalists have control for a short period (and let's face it none of these parties could do worse than the charlatans who have thus far governed the land).

      1. breakfast Silver badge

        Re: Let me get this straight

        I think you'd be amazed how much harm UKIP could do. I cannot see their policies as resulting in anything other than the utter ruination of England. Hopefully Scotland and Wales would be able to use what independence they have to save themselves and let us drown in our own elected imbecility.

        To be honest, the only party with either policies or ideology in the UK at the moment is the greens and a lot of people don't take them seriously because they're ( inaccurately ) seen as a single-issue party. From what I can tell they're actually fairly pragmatic.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Big Brother

      Re: Let me get this straight

      That's just depends on why you spy. In WWII allied forces spied the Germans - and viceversa. Do you belive allies were equal to nazists? US spied on USSR - do you believe communist Russia was a nice place with its gulags? China is the country that sent tanks against students - and jail people if they just try to criticize the government - at least you can still criticize Obama and noone jails you for that. Try live in China and write on Chinese site China should not spy anyone.... and see what happens next.

      1. The BigYin

        Re: Let me get this straight

        Less wrong != Right

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Let me get this straight

          But: Actually running a country = a bit more complicated than simplistic black and white statements.

      2. Tom 13

        @LDS: You were doing okay until you got to

        at least you can still criticize Obama and noone jails you for that.

        That's pretty much what this investigation and the IRS scandals are all about. Different forms of government intimidation, but still government intimidation.

    4. Tom 13

      Re: What can be done about these politicians

      Well it would help tremendously if lower information voters (of the sort who granted The Big 0 a Nobel prize on his election) would stop voting for him. Of course changing that would be easier if the media weren't in the tank for people like him.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "What can be done about these politicians (Obama, Cameron...) who have no respect for their nation, culture or people?"

    It'd be easy if the 99% had as much money to throw at the Cleggerons etc as the 1% do,

    As it is, I don't see an answer that doesn't involve levels of violence which might be classed as inappropriate (by the 1%, anyway).

  3. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Holmes

    Oh, FFS

    widely interpreted as a scheme

    "Widely" == Israel, people in the pay of Israel (yeah, those AIPAC bags of greenbacks really get the tongues wagging), scumbag politicians looking for a quick way to the top using the lifes of others and our friendly terror-supporting guys of Saudi Arabia, more like.

    Hope this helps.

  4. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Big Brother

    Unapproved leaks shall be prosecuted to the full extent of my law!

    Vader: Where are those transmissions you intercepted? WHAT have you DONE with those plans?

    Antilles: We intercepted no transmissions...

    Antilles: ... This is a free country ... We're on a -

    Antilles: whistleblowing mission...

    Vader: If this is a whistleblowing mission, WHERE is the WHISTLE?

    Crack! Another one bites the dust.

    Vader: Commander, tear this nation apart until you find those plans! And bring me all leakers, I want them ALIVE!

    1. Justice
      Thumb Up

      Re: Unapproved leaks shall be prosecuted to the full extent of my law!

      Dear Sir, You win the internet.

    2. Kane
      Thumb Up

      Re: Unapproved leaks shall be prosecuted to the full extent of my law!

      +9000 internets to you good sir! Bravo!

  5. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ask yourself this...

    If Iran had deliberately released a virus targetted at US nuclear power plants what would the USA's reaction have been?

    Most likely, Obama would have declared it an act of war and would have authorised a full retaliatory military strike.

    Obama's outrage at the leak probably has more to do with embarrasment at being found out as the duplicitous, lying git he really is than anything else.

    1. Steen Hive

      Re: Ask yourself this...

      Well it was a direct unprovoked attack on a nation state. And as usual they're all for shooting the messengers, rather than the criminals.

    2. JohnG

      Re: Ask yourself this...

      "If Iran had deliberately released a virus targetted at US nuclear power plants...."

      I don't dispute that a US reaction to something similar from Iran would probably be significant and possibly disproportionate but....

      Stuxnet wasn't released towards any nuclear power plants. It specifically targeted centrifuges used by Iran to refine nuclear materials - centrifuges which Iran was not supposed to possess. This was achieved via a Siemens industrial control system which had never been sold in Iran. It's a bit like using pre-activated anti-virus software bought for a few bucks in a Russian street market.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ask yourself this...

      nuclear power plant =/= uranium processing facility

  7. Dan Paul
    Devil

    Thieving, Lying Politicians deserve no rights, consideration or respect

    If you are known to break the laws of your own country to get what you wanted, why would anyone ever trust you again? Answer - Those stupid bastards, raised in the Idiocracy of the US will and they are allowed to vote. The others are the Welfare State crew who will vote the liars back into office just so their gravy train continues.

    Can't "We the People" declare that all this spying, larcenous, double dealing crap constitutes an Act of War against the US citizenry??

    Please explain why not!

    1. Jess--

      Re: Thieving, Lying Politicians deserve no rights, consideration or respect

      because "We the People" have already voted that the current bunch represent the peoples wishes.

      Only answer is to find a more suitable bunch to vote in next time around...

      good luck with that one.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If he leaked the details...

    ...which we don't know to be fact, then he should be court martialed and sent to prison for the next 30 years.

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