Unmasked - Ars Technica [14]
(Update: a reader points to additional emails which suggest that the “foreign fighter campaign” operative would not actually be working on the Team Themis project. Instead, Berico and Palantir would list him and another top person as “key personnel,” drawing on their “creds to show our strengths,” but might actually staff the project with others.)
“I don’t think we can make it any further”
But the cash, which “will seem like money falling from the sky for those of us used to working in the govt sector,” was not forthcoming. H&W didn’t make a decision in November. Barr began to worry.
“All things we are chasing continue to get pushed to the right or just hang in limbo,” he wrote. “I don’t think we can make it any further. We are behind in our taxes trying to keep us afloat until a few things came through, but they are not happening fast enough.” He noted that Palantir was asking “way too much money” from H&W.
As the weeks dragged on, Team Themis decided to lower its price. It sent an e-mail to H&W, saying that the three companies were “prepared to offer our services as Team Themis at a significantly lower cost (much closer to the original “Phase I” proposed costs). Does this sound like a more reasonable range in terms of pricing?”
But before H&W made a decision on Chamber of Commerce plan, it had another urgent request for Team Themis: a major US bank had come to H&W seeking help against WikiLeaks (the bank has been widely assumed to be Bank of America, which has long been rumored to be a future WikiLeaks target.)
“We want to sell this team as part of what we are talking about,” said the team’s H&W contact. “I need a favor. I need five to six slides on Wikileaks—who they are, how they operate and how this group may help this bank. Please advise if you can help get me something ASAP. My call is at noon.”
“Attack their weak points”
By 11:30pm on the evening of December 2, Barr had cranked out a PowerPoint presentation. It called for “disinformation,” “cyber attacks,” and a “media campaign” against WikiLeaks.
What could HBGary Federal do?
Computer Network Attack/Exploitation
Influence and Deception Operations
Social Media Collection, Analysis, Exploitation
Digital Media Forensic Analysis
This attack capability wasn’t mere bluster. HBGary had long publicized to clients its cache of 0-day exploits—attacks for which there is no existing patch. A slide from a year earlier showed that HBGary claimed unpublished 0-day exploits in everything from Flash to Java to Windows 2000.
Another slide made clear that the company had expertise in “computer network attack,” “custom malware development,” and “persistent software implants.”
In October 2010, HBGary CEO Greg Hoglund had tossed out a random idea for Barr, one that did not apparently seem unusual: “I suggest we create a large set of unlicensed windows-7 themes for video games and movies appropriate for middle east & asia. These theme packs would contain back doors.”
Barr’s ideas about WikiLeaks went beyond attacks on their infrastructure. He wrote in a separate document that WikiLeaks was having trouble getting money because its payment sources were being blocked. “Also need to get people to understand that if they support the organization we will come after them,” he wrote. “Transaction records are easily identifiable.”
As an idea that Barr knew was being prepared for a major US bank, the suggestion is chilling. Barr also reiterated the need to “get to the Swedish document submission server” that allowed people to upload leaked documents.
At 7:30am the next morning, Barr had another great idea—find some way to make WikiLeaks supporters like Glenn Greenwald feel like their jobs might be at stake for supporting the organization.
“One other thing,” he wrote in his morning message. “I think we need to highlight people like Glenn Greenwald.