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Assange's 'poison pill' file impossible to stop, expert says

Jetboogieman

Jetboogieman

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(CNN) -- The Poison Pill. The Doomsday Files. Or simply, The Insurance.

Whatever you call the file Julian Assange has threatened to release if he's imprisoned or dies or WikiLeaks is destroyed, it's impossible to stop.

"It's all tech talk to say, 'I have in my hand a button and if I press it or I order my friends to press it, it will go off,'" said Hemu Nigam, who has worked in computer security for more than two decades, in the government and private sector.

"Julian is saying, 'I've calibrated this so that no matter how many ways you try, you're never going to be able to deactivate it,'" Nigam said. "He's sending a call to action to hackers to try it. To the government, he's also saying, 'Try me.'"

There's a reason Assange specifically announced -- on the Web -- that there is a 256-bit key encryption code that only a few trusted associates know that will unleash the contents of the 1.4 gigabyte-size file.

"He's saying don't even bother trying. It will take you so long to succeed that by that time, it will be too late," Nigam said. "Most of the time, you see a 56-[bit]key encryption. That's considered secure. When you are using 256, you are sending a message: 'I'm smart enough to know that you will try to get in.'"

It's not the first time Assange, the face and founder of WikiLeaks, has asked someone to dare him. He and the anonymous, globally scattered WikiLeaks staff have warned since July's release of Afghanistan War documents that they are not to be messed with. Press them, they say, and they will retaliate by releasing more secret information.

But this week, the stakes got higher. Assange was arrested Tuesday in Great Britain in relation to a sex crimes investigation in Sweden. A British judge denied bail, and Assange is expected to remain in a jail in England for at least a week, officials said.
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Assange's 'poison pill' file impossible to stop, expert says - CNN.com

Holy **** :shock:
 
Lame. He should just release the file and stop being all blackmaily about it.
 
Orion said:
Lame. He should just release the file and stop being all blackmaily about it.
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I am interested in seeing what it is as well, but I think that goes against the whole he wants to be free and live aspect of this situation..
 
WeAreReborn said:
I am interested in seeing what it is as well, but I think that goes against the whole he wants to be free and live aspect of this situation..
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He's going to lose his freedom anyway. I mean, Sweden is basically trying to put him in jail for not wearing a condom. The woman making the allegation has proven ties to the CIA. He will be in U.S. hands before long.
 
Orion said:
He's going to lose his freedom anyway. I mean, Sweden is basically trying to put him in jail for not wearing a condom. The woman making the allegation has proven ties to the CIA. He will be in U.S. hands before long.
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Yeah it is quite unfortunate. I think you are right then, he might as well release it or find an amazing hiding spot...
 
Has anyone thought of the possibility that this is a massive bluff on his part?
 
MaggieD said:
Only one way to deal with a blackmailer. Take away their power.

I hope our government laughs at his threats and double-dares him.
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Yep, when he releases whatever he has he loses all of his leverage.
 
What exactly could the US charge him with? What law has he broken and is he under our jurisdiction?
 
This is clearly blackmail and the government cannot give in to it. Just more proof that Assange and Wikileaks are among the lowest of the low.
 
reefedjib said:
What exactly could the US charge him with? What law has he broken and is he under our jurisdiction?
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from what I've read they're gonna try and charge him under the Espionage act (which'll only work if they can prove he sought out the info) or possibly for recieveing stolen government propert (which'll set a dangerous precedent for future journalism).
 
spud_meister said:
from what I've read they're gonna try and charge him under the Espionage act (which'll only work if they can prove he sought out the info) or possibly for recieveing stolen government propert (which'll set a dangerous precedent for future journalism).
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Thanks. But I don't get it. He isn't a US citizen and resides in another country. I don't think it is against the laws of that country (UK) to receive US classified info, nor publish it.
 
reefedjib said:
What exactly could the US charge him with? What law has he broken and is he under our jurisdiction?
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Ever hear of Manuel Antonio Noriega?

.
 
Deuce said:
The internet.

*crosses arms*
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Come on, you know the internet is really really great for porn, and that's all.

[tries to get the Avenue Q song that made him make this comment out of his head]
 
Geez. Now I wish I had mad, S-class hacking skills so that I could break his 256 bit encryption and see how much the key would go for on E-bay.

And just in case anyone is pissed about it, that is not treason, that is the free market. :)
 
reefedjib said:
Thanks. But I don't get it. He isn't a US citizen and resides in another country. I don't think it is against the laws of that country (UK) to receive US classified info, nor publish it.
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Maybe, maybe not. But, if the UK extradites him to the U.S., basically saying, "here ya go", then we can charge Assange with anything we won't and give him whatever sentence we want.

The information that he leaked--illegally--not only endangered embarressed Americans, but did the same to other western countries.

They're probably looking at what he did to the U.S. and know that he could do the same thing to them, so if he's disposed of by us, they won't have to worry about Wikileaks and won't have to get their hands dirty.
 
CriticalThought said:
Geez. Now I wish I had mad, S-class hacking skills so that I could break his 256 bit encryption and see how much the key would go for on E-bay.

And just in case anyone is pissed about it, that is not treason, that is the free market. :)
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You would probably have to use the money you made on e-bay to try and pay your bail, after the FBI picked you up.
 
apdst said:
You would probably have to use the money you made on e-bay to try and pay your bail, after the FBI picked you up.
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Exactly what crime would I have committed? I wouldn't have provided anyone with any government information. All I would have done is provide the key necessary to decript the documents. There is certainly no law against hacking documents on my own computer. And there is certainly no law that would keep me from selling the key on the internet. Not only could the FBI not charge me with anything, they couldn't do anything to stop me.
 
CriticalThought said:
Exactly what crime would I have committed? I wouldn't have provided anyone with any government information. All I would have done is provide the key necessary to decript the documents. There is certainly no law against hacking documents on my own computer. And there is certainly no law that would keep me from selling the key on the internet. Not only could the FBI not charge me with anything, they couldn't do anything to stop me.
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Uh, let's see...you crack the code to untold thousands of pages of classified material, then try to sell it. I believe they call that, "espionage".

Not only could the FBI not charge me with anything, they couldn't do anything to stop me.
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Yeah, I bet that's what the Rosenbergs thought...:rofl
 
apdst said:
Uh, let's see...you crack the code to untold thousands of pages of classified material, then try to sell it. I believe they call that, "espionage".
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That is quite a stretch. I don't think you can spy on your own computer. Heck, I would only sell the key once. If America wanted it really bad, I could cut them a speical deal...say maybe $50 million for the key.
 
CriticalThought said:
That is quite a stretch. I don't think you can spy on your own computer. Heck, I would only sell the key once. If America wanted it really bad, I could cut them a speical deal...say maybe $50 million for the key.
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And, I believe they call that, "extortion". :rofl

Bottom line is, if you accessed classified material, without the proper authorization, you're breaking the law.
 
apdst said:
And, I believe they call that, "extortion". :rofl

Bottom line is, if you accessed classified material, without the proper authorization, you're breaking the law.
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I know of no such law that says that I'm not allowed to break the encryption on a document that I downloaded off the internet onto my computer and then sell the key on the internet. How is any of that "accessing classified material"? It's freely disseminated material.
 
CriticalThought said:
I know of no such law that says that I'm not allowed to break the encryption on a document that I downloaded off the internet onto my computer and then sell the key on the internet. How is any of that "accessing classified material"? It's freely disseminated material.
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And, if it wasn't classified material, protected by the law of the land, you would be correct. What's more, you would know that it's illegally obtained classified material. It's just like buying a stolen lawnmower, that you know is stolen. Knowingly possessing stolen property is a crime in this country.
 
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