04-10-2023, 09:35 PM
https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-leaked...54708.html
The "leak" could have many sources. It is even possible (though unlikely) its came from Ukraine itself and contains both real information and fiction. However, it seems one thing is absolutely clear. The US continues to ignore "need to know" restrictions on information, and that has every chance of creating disasters. The information in these documents doesn't need to be shared with very many people. While certain parts could possibly require distribution to "specialists" that would widen the set of those who have seen this information, those sets should be pretty disjoint. IMO there are probably no more than 50 people in the US military that have a "need to know" for all the leaked information. It should be very easy to locate the "leak" under those circumstances. Even if persons have been briefed in and allowed to read such documents, they in general have no need to posses their own copy. They can't leak a document they don't posses.
The problem is that since information is power, everybody wants to posses it. It takes discipline and a real security plan to ensure people aren't given access just because of who they are and because they want to feel good about themselves. In the somewhat distant past, that policy was pretty widely enforced. After about 1990, the "need to know" justification definitely started to erode. That is going to cost lots of lives and treasure eventually, if it hasn't already. The lack of security process and access control based on "need to know" in both the legislative and executive branches of government has been on display for all to see recently. Unfortunately, that is only the tip of an iceberg. It also permeates the military.
The "leak" could have many sources. It is even possible (though unlikely) its came from Ukraine itself and contains both real information and fiction. However, it seems one thing is absolutely clear. The US continues to ignore "need to know" restrictions on information, and that has every chance of creating disasters. The information in these documents doesn't need to be shared with very many people. While certain parts could possibly require distribution to "specialists" that would widen the set of those who have seen this information, those sets should be pretty disjoint. IMO there are probably no more than 50 people in the US military that have a "need to know" for all the leaked information. It should be very easy to locate the "leak" under those circumstances. Even if persons have been briefed in and allowed to read such documents, they in general have no need to posses their own copy. They can't leak a document they don't posses.
The problem is that since information is power, everybody wants to posses it. It takes discipline and a real security plan to ensure people aren't given access just because of who they are and because they want to feel good about themselves. In the somewhat distant past, that policy was pretty widely enforced. After about 1990, the "need to know" justification definitely started to erode. That is going to cost lots of lives and treasure eventually, if it hasn't already. The lack of security process and access control based on "need to know" in both the legislative and executive branches of government has been on display for all to see recently. Unfortunately, that is only the tip of an iceberg. It also permeates the military.