Call In The Forensic Grammaticians!

The NY Times has a long piece about how the Russians apparently hacked the DNC and then John Podesta. There are several Keystone Kops moments (some lowlights by AllahP at Hot Air), but this has captured my attention:

Hundreds of similar phishing emails were being sent to American political targets, including an identical email sent on March 19 to Mr. Podesta, chairman of the Clinton campaign. Given how many emails Mr. Podesta received through this personal email account, several aides also had access to it, and one of them noticed the warning email, sending it to a computer technician to make sure it was legitimate before anyone clicked on the “change password” button.

“This is a legitimate email,” Charles Delavan, a Clinton campaign aide, replied to another of Mr. Podesta’s aides, who had noticed the alert. “John needs to change his password immediately.”

With another click, a decade of emails that Mr. Podesta maintained in his Gmail account — a total of about 60,000 — were unlocked for the Russian hackers. Mr. Delavan, in an interview, said that his bad advice was a result of a typo: He knew this was a phishing attack, as the campaign was getting dozens of them. He said he had meant to type that it was an “illegitimate” email, an error that he said has plagued him ever since.

The Times links to the relevant Wikileaked email, which reads as follows:

Sara,

This is a legitimate email. John needs to change his password immediately, and ensure that two-factor authentication is turned on his account...

Now, call in the forensic team, because we have an "a" / "an" problem. These two phrases are grammatically correct:

(1) This is a legitimate email, or

(2) This is an illegitimate email.

But that is a heck of a typo if he truly intended to write "This is a illegimate email". What are kids being taught in school these days?

But To Be Fair, the grammatically challenged techie continued with good advice in the fateful email:

He can go to this link: https://myaccount.google.com/security to do both.

It is absolutely imperative that this is done ASAP. If you or he has any questions, please reach out to me at 410.562.9762

He did NOT advise them to click on the link in the suspect email, but instead directed them to the known Google website. He was very probably thinking "This is a legitimate problem" and presented a sensible solution.

Had he been a bit more verbal, or the recipient a bit more tech-savvy, history would have changed! Oh, well - as PT Barnum nearly said, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of DNC staffers.

My advice for anyone pondering an email and wondering whether it is a phishing attempt comes from the classic Ronin, delivered by Robert DeNiro: "Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt."

The risk-return of experimenting with a dubious email link is hopelessly unfavorable. If the underlying message seems plausible, make your own way to the appropriate website, ignoring any seemingly-helpful links provided in the email.

Make America's Emails Great Again!

Comments

[Jim Eagle]

Post this here since it will get no notice on the dead thread:

If Jim Brown's family didn't move from St. Simon's Island, GA to Manhasset he would have never had been a lacrosse legend. Down island is the nation's hotbed of lacrosse and for years seeded Maryland and John's Hopkins when those were the top lacrosse schools in the country. Outside of Quebec, Canada, no area in the US has turned out more all-american lacrosse players than Nassau County, Long Island.

He also had the NY State record for highest scoring average in high school basketball at 36PPG but a young future HoF baseball player for the Red Sox broke that record at Bridgehampton High School, Southampton Town. Guy named Carl Yazstremski.

OBTW - First!

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Egads! Forensic grammarians were the bane of my 8th grade existence.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

The Sheriff is in the house.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

The Sheriff is going after George Soros.

Also IRS attacks on Tea Party and threats to electors.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Sheriff Clarke: Congess should investigate Soros, IRS, and threats against the electoral college. (Russians, what evs, the left is setting new records of stupid).

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Sheriff Clarke,

"Do you have your pitchforks and torches ready?"

(clarice! He's drumming up business for you!)

[Benjacko]

Mistakes are best committed under pressure. The aide was no doubt multi tasking per management's instruction. American workers now have to fit 70 to eighty hours for salaried supervisory positions to stay in good stead (keep their jobs)

Of course it's entirely voluntary and optional to the alternative.

[And they call Trump a clown.]

Who is fool enough to believe that was a typo? Well, maybe Delavan knows his intended audience for that excuse.

[Texas Liberty Gal]

Holy cow - I caught a bit of Mark Levin while driving my granddaughter back home. He was ranting & raving about how bad of a pick Tillerson was. I wonder if he & Rush are still friends.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

TLG,

I have gotten to the point with Levin that I even turn his promos off.

[Jim Eagle]

Mark Levin knows crap about business to begin with. He is a political and constitutional hack who has never worked in the private business market or internationally. I admire his passion but sometimes these talking heads need to understand their limits and his is international business and energy negotiations.

[Texas Liberty Gal]

MM - I wonder how his TV show is doing-who wants to listen to someone who rants & raves even if you agree with him

[JM Hanes]

It's Reuters' "Three American Officials" vs. the WaPo's "Senior U.S. Official!"

The overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced a CIA assessment that Russian cyber attacks were aimed at helping Republican President-elect Donald Trump win the 2016 election, three American officials said on Monday.

[…]

"ODNI is not arguing that the agency (CIA) is wrong, only that they can't prove intent," said one of the three U.S. officials. "Of course they can't, absent agents in on the decision-making in Moscow."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose evidentiary standards require it to make cases that can stand up in court, declined to accept the CIA's analysis - a deductive assessment of the available intelligence - for the same reason, the three officials said.

If you've been wondering, as I have, exactly how the CIA determined that Putin was trying to help Trump, Reuters has got that too:

The CIA assessed after the election that the attacks on political organizations were aimed at swaying the vote for Trump because the targeting of Republican organizations diminished toward the end of the summer and focused on Democratic groups, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Friday.

Moreover, only materials filched from Democratic groups - such as emails stolen from John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman - were made public via WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization, and other outlets, U.S. officials said.

The CIA conclusion was a "judgment based on the fact that Russian entities hacked both Democrats and Republicans and only the Democratic information was leaked," one of the three officials said on Monday.

"(It was) a thin reed upon which to base an analytical judgment," the official added.

Ya think? That's it, sum total, an inference which rests on no dispositive intel whatsoever. Any one of us could come up with a dozen other possibilities, which would fit that template. Sheesh.

That's really even weaker tea than I expected, so I think I'm pretty much done with this issue. I've just been trying to prep for what will be a Christmas through New Year's sojourn as a likely lone Trump voter guesting in the belly of a liberal beast.

[Hark, hark, hark.]

Maybe someone should point Levin to what Oreskes and the Democratic AGs did to Tillerson's company in the ExxonKnew scandal.

That's first amendment stuff Mark. Listen up to the speech.

[common man]

This is fairly easy. If John Kerry can do the job at even a minimally acceptable level, the job is something a high functioning autistic could do. Tillerson will kill it and benefit from comparison to his predecessor moron SoS.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

TLG, Levin was always so shrill I couldn't listen to more than three or so words without turning the radio off.

[Jim Eagle]

Why aren't the chattering classes and MFM as well as the DNC hacks concerned about how we interfered in the Israeli elections using our tax dollars?

At least Vlad used his own money.

[Captain Hate]

As a former Levin acolyte he certainly knew Trump wasn't a doctrinaire conservative and shouldn't be losing his shit over an appointment that will surely represent the country well.

[JM Hanes]

TM:

"But that is a heck of a typo if he truly intended to write 'This is a illegimate email'."

In my experience, that's not particularly hard to believe, notwithstanding the staffer's obvious self-interest in making the claim. Typos are frequently about more than just accidentally hitting the wrong key, although even skipping a few letters is not exactly unusual.

I'm reminded of an employee's rather unique verbal stylings, when informing me of a scheduled visit to the doctor, she'll announce, "I have a pointment on Monday morning...."

[Captain Hate]

Why aren't the chattering classes and MFM as well as the DNC hacks concerned about how we interfered in the Israeli elections using our tax dollars?

That has bugged me since Slick's minions meddled in the election for Ehud Barak.

[Commerce Secretary?]

I happen to like Romney, a very talented man, but were I Trump I'd fear him in the administration like Dubya should have feared Colin Powell.

[buccaneer morgan]

Speaking of crazy, a labour MP Ben bradshaw has dialed to eleven re brexit. And of course there's Louise mensch with three scoops.

[Captain Hate]

Kim, Tammy Bruce made a similar point today.

[JM Hanes]

I'd like to take a moment to thank a few of the JOMmers who have made me laugh out loud today:

windansea: "Basically, the swamp is trying to swallow Godzilla"

Ignatz: "a two bit Mormon Meyer Lansky."

KevlarKid: "a race to the bottom of the Inspiration Totem Pole."

That's nowhere near a comprehensive list, of course, but I just want to say what an incredible gift I think that laughter is.

[Benjacko]

" There are three agencies I will eliminate as.Presidunce...Dept. of Education, Dept. Of Commerce..and...What was that other one?"

-RICK Perry-

[Benjacko]

Now that's some forensics...

[JM Hanes]

Jeez, Benjacko, try to keep up, please.

[Heh, Ambassador to Utah, or maybe China. Better than Huntsman, the sly clamshell.]

Despite his chicanery, he is an asset that it would be a shame to waste, or to make an opponent of him. I expect Trump will find the right place for him.

Maybe groom him for successor. He has taught him how to fight the press, and Romney can fight if he feels like it.

[Benjacko]

I am having a little trouble digesting these appointees. You?

[buccaneer morgan]

And ana Marie Cox, is channeling rockwell from the 1980s

[Dr Weevil]

JMHanes:
Palaeographers, who study Mediaeval manuscripts, talk about 'polar errors' - writing the opposite of what you should have written. Apparently the mind tends to store opposites together, and it's easier to change 'black' to 'white' (or vice versa) while copying a manuscript than to change 'green' to 'gray', even though 'black' and 'white' share no letters, while 'green' and 'gray' share the crucial first two letters. So it's not terribly surprising that the guy reversed his intended meaning entirely. (I wonder if he had any good reason to subconsciously screw Podesta over? That would help make the mistake psychologically plausible. Is Podesta a lousy boss?)

[Benjacko]

Digestion is a funny thing. Something tastes good at first, then it's coming out both ends.

[buccaneer morgan]

He's the best acme could come up with.

[And driven to leftist madness.]

I've even got a role for Schwarzenegger; The Terminator, if only he were a little more barbarian and a little less shriven.

[buccaneer morgan]

Dana forgets how he cheered how Wikileaks helped topple Ben alimand mubarak, maybe he neutralized himself?

[Fluids are critical, despite their apparent plethora. Drink up.]

It's healthy governance food, bjo; no wonder your system is not adjusted to it.

[DebinNC]

"The CIA conclusion was a "judgment based on the fact that Russian entities hacked both Democrats and Republicans"

Priebus claims the RNC absolutely wasn't hacked. Who are "The CIA"? Doesn't "conclusion" suggest at most "best guess" and not "proven fact"? Ditto "judgement" as in "judgement call" aka "an opinion"?

[In other words, a lie.]

Yes, DiNC, I pointed that out on the last thread. The 'fact' that both parties were hacked is 'fake news'.

[Benjacko]

Where is sue? I want her input on Perry.

[buccaneer morgan]

Well his brief jaunts in the expendables where he is doing Carl weathers role as the shifty butaeuvrat from predator, plus lets not speak of terminator genesis.

[buccaneer morgan]

Probably mike 'iceberg' Murphy was hacked.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Anyone remember an article linked this morning on Soros vs Rothschild? Or did I have too much coffee?

[Benjacko]

And what's this about Jim Brown and Trump?

The last I heard of him was in regard to Richard Pryor.

He was deep into free-basing and Brown wanted to help...

"Whatcha gonna do?"

'Catch fire"

[And it's not just computer security. Hillary wiped the server of security with the cloth of chaos.]

Of course, I only highlighted what JMH pointed out.

This is an ironically fragile meme. To pursue it is to further reveal the shoddy approach to security by the Dems.

[buccaneer morgan]

Yes the physics of metrics or some such site

[Jane]

Brilliant TM!

[FTL]

Longish post from two dead threads ago paraphrased:

The right has to be careful as hell when communicating in writing because they know that anything that could reflect badly would be the lead topic of several 24-hour news cycles if a hacker or a disgruntled colleague ever leaked it.

The left has no such fear.

I am surprised that the unvarnished childish snark written in the Paedesta emails hasn't ended up in public fistfights. Of course, leftists are pathetic passive/aggressive little pieces of filth (GRAB THEM BY THEIR LEFTISTS!). Be on the lookout for poisonings, the most cowardly form of revenge.

[peter]

Interesting about Jim Brown, JIB. I have heard stories that he was raised by a white judge, Kenneth Molloy, of the Nassau County Supreme Court. I had heard that Judge Molloy was deeply disappointed by Jim Brown's autobiography years later.

[buccaneer morgan]

Philosophy of metrics, is the site

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Thanks narciso. I forgot to pass that one along to our Chitown friend.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Pence just used the phrase "arsenal of democracy."

They are going to frame our economic and military efforts as as a war effort. I am pretty sure I am right.

[buccaneer morgan]

A times pave about brown in 2013, mentions judge malloy as one of those who recommended him.

[boatbuilder]

What does it say about the outgoing President that after solemnly pledging that he was going to do all that he could to see that the new president succeeds and the transition is smooth, he then orders the CIA to investigate whether the Russians were trying to throw the election to Trump?

Nothing especially wrong with investigating, I suppose--its what intelligence agencies are supposed to do-- but when the results are dubious and inconclusive at best, and essentially politicized opinion, he then has it leaked to the usual MSM suspects to undermine the legitimacy of the election and of Trumps presidency before it even begins. Any president who cared more about his country than about his own pure political agenda would never have let the results of this "investigation" see the light of day unless it were absolutely clear and undeniable. File it under "interesting" and let it wait for the historians.

The question is rhetorical. We know what it says about Obama.

[buccaneer morgan]

Re iggys pithy summary of searchlight, a real life senator geary

[PD]

Watching the WI rally now. Thank you, Donald J. Trump, for saying WISconsin and not WESconsin.

[We shall consult Rolvaag.]

Hmmm, and all this time I though 'Wesconsin' was the nordic accent.

[Maybe I'm full of cheese balls.]

You know, Dakohtah, Westconsin.

[Benjacko]

Holy moly.

Narco: Against my better instincts I went to Philosophy of metrics and clicked on the Trump gold standard piece and was ecstatic that I qualified for a 50 % discount on my subscription.

Woot!

The gold standard is the metrics philosophy so I needed to read no further.

Heh. Information...get yer information and water scrip
here...and at a discount.

Ahhh. The Trump gold standard.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Kim, I live in the town of Norway, WISconsin.

[Take cover.]

Better, Westcahnsin. Oops, is that our delegation there uncovering their reloading machinery?

[asw]

Henry this is the link. Very interesting.

http://philosophyofmetrics.com/the-take-down-of-george-soros-has-begun/

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Why yes.... I always reload during The Donald events.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Thanks asw!

[mad jack]

I've become a fan of Exxon since they have been putting our commie AG's feet to the fire for her and the NY AG's attempt to extort them on some global warming consumer fraud bs claim. She is now fighting desperately to avoid a deposition that a Fed judge has ordered her to appear for in Texas. Good times.

[Jim Eagle]

mad jack

Chevron is the standard bearer in their Ecudoran waterpollution tort. Beat them down like a lying sack of shit it was and destoyed a DC law and lobbyist firm to boot.

You don't mess with Texas or oil firms with thousands and thousands of lawyers and engineers to make you look like fools.

[buccaneer morgan]

Yes she makes coakley seem less replicant, speaking of slithy toves red squaw went on a rant against the wrong banker.

[anonamom]

Per my Twitter feed, Paul Ryan go booed at the Trump rally.

Better be careful Paulie, or you'll be back driving the weinermobile full time.

[buccaneer morgan]

Yes once re read their book, like Patton , the gig is up.

[jimmyk]

I'd ask again, does anyone think wikileaks was particularly influential in the election, regardless of the source? I'd put it at about eleventh place on the list of things that brought Hillary down, the first nine of which have to do with the Red Witch herself.

[buccaneer morgan]

Now Patton boggs were just the monkeys at the end of Chavez's string so was behind the Exxon lawfare.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

anonamom,

Am watching, and yes he did. Trump was gracious and told people how well he was working with him, but there is no doubt the Trump people do NOT like him.

He better get on board, or else.

[buccaneer morgan]

Yes it was samizdat, the almost unperceptible pattern of details, spreAD on social media

[Buckeye]

Is this the first Trump event Ryan has attended?

[Threadkiller]

I think wikileaks had less of an impact creating votes for Trump, a little more impact robbing Hillary of votes, and a substantial impact keeping the MFM in constant Chinese plate twirling.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Buckeye, I think it is the first with both of them.

[buccaneer morgan]

So Carlos slims for instance is purturbed about one apocryphal assault in Berlin but the thousands confirmed in koln that's just fake new

[lyle]

Slight correction, mad jack: you're thinking the MA AG. NY is the other commie, Schneiderman.

[Jim Eagle]

A correction. Malloy was a lawyer at the time Jim Brown was playing and Jim had nothing but praise for him.

I think at one time he had the discus and javelin records for NY State at one time.

The two greatest athletes I havd ever seen are Jim Brown and Bo Jackson. If you have any others to compete, I'd like to know.

Emphasis on "seeing".

[Account Deleted]

alimand... by any chance is that a square-dancing call?

[mad jack]

Yes JIB: You'd think these commie AG's would have known about the international obliteration of the Ecuadorian ambulance chasers to be a little more circumspect in their choice of targets. She was Marsha's assistant when I was dealing with her as they were extorting money out of much easier targets-banks. I was in a room full of D pols and after she bragged about the money they had effectively extorted on behalf of the unfortunate foreclosed I pointed out that the only people who were getting screwed were the investors in these lending institutions, a significant portion of whom were the pension funds of most of the people presently listening to her spiel. She was not amused but after the meeting I was quite popular with many of the Dem pols who were in full agreement with me. Off the record of course.

[Beasts of England]

I'd be surprised if many regular voters had any idea about it, jimmyk. I read the papers regularly during the election season, and when it was covered, it was defensive, even dismissive, of the leaks. I doubt it had any impact at all.

[Janet ~ an obnoxious Trump supporter]

I agree, jimmyk.

THe DNC leaks made Bernie voters hate Hillary & so maybe they stayed home but the Podesta emails mostly just confirmed things we already knew. I don't think there was anything in the Podesta emails that would upset Hillary voters.

The tenor was more...Dems mad at Dems.
THe DNC screwed Bernie.
The media are helping Hillary.
More of a family feud than anything to do with Trump or any Republican.

[buccaneer morgan]

Ben Ali & mubarak, Muammar made the trifecta.

[henry - drunk on prog tears]

Interesting event at the WI State Fairgrounds... Trump was backing Ryan Bigly. The crowd less so. Perhaps Ryan learned from this. (I watched on YouTube)

[Jim Eagle]

mad jack

You the man. Always interesting to learn from someone who survived a nest of vipers.

Frederick and I are watching "Transformers: Age of Extinction" of something like that. We were so close. Now, not so much. MAGA.

[PD]

End of rally. Paul Ryan presents Trump with a Packers "45" jersey.

[It's the first time I've known all night what was in his hand.]

I think that the fact that the press was ignoring the leaks just upped the rage and enthusiasm factor among Trump supporters, so, yes, I think the leaks had an impact. It was just not the impact that it should have had, were our polity less corrupted.

[Account Deleted]

A fellow rugger at ND was from *wait for it*----

OCONOMOWOC Wisconsin

Crazy Charlie... walked into the soccer team's post-game party and yelled (snot-flyin'drOHNk):

"Rugby...a RUFF-ee-inz game played by gennilminz; SOCKer...a gennilminz game played by ASS-holz."

First time I ever saw in real life a wooden chair get broken over somebody's back.

The Chaz Man was 6'8 285. Let's just say that whenever I'd go into a midwestern bar I made friends with two kinds of people--- the guys with the guns and the guys from WISconsin.

My kinda peeps. Saludos!

[mad jack]

Hi Lyle: I am talking about the MA AG. She was dumb enough to join in with the NY AG. Of course they convinced the Virgin Islands? AG jump in first. I think he's looking at possible disbarment...if he's lucky. I may be wrong on that one but a man can hope! (I'm counting on Narc to get the story on this right for me...:-)

[buccaneer morgan]

Like the browncoats they couldn't stop the signal.

[buccaneer morgan]

Its chinatown mad jack, look how long it took to stake client no 9. Maybe bhaara might want his scalp on the wall

[Account Deleted]

LOL @ alimand.... what a blast from the past.... Tuesday dance classes in cat'lick school.... square dancin call...."alimand left anna doh see doh"....

ROFLMAO... wow! good thing no one emailed me about "a legitimate" email.

[Jim Eagle]

KK,

A perfect No. 7 in my estimation. I played 8 for my Old Boys and then in Kalimantan against the Total team. Frenchies like to cheat a little in the scrum. Bite and such. But back at the passed ball it was a little more civilized. Then when it was all over we had the San Miguel beer trailer to raid.

[Neo]

This is rich ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/13/scientists-are-frantically-copying-u-s-climate-data-fearing-it-might-vanish-under-trump/

[And they're right.]

Heh, if the Dems are blaming Russians then they sure as Hell think the emails had an impact.

[buccaneer morgan]

There really is deep bathos in this, no wonder they slather the story in intrigue, like butter on a midnight roll sandwich,

[PD]

What, are those scientists thinking Trump can erase ALL DATA, including the backups?

It's not Trump supporters attributing godlike powers to him, it's his loopy detractors.

[Captain Hate]

The made up data about a trace gas that they refuse to make public? Sounds very sciencey.

[buccaneer morgan]

So it appears rogue one is not drawing the expected kudos, then again i wasnt impressed with the director's earlier work with godzilla

[Janet ~ an obnoxious Trump supporter]

Hillary crapped out after the irredeemable deplorables comment & then falling in a gutter that weekend. Then...THEN she disappeared for a long time.

Also Trump was a machine campaigning everywhere. The MFM don't ever give him credit for that.
With each rally I watched I liked him better & Better & BETTER. Cool cap. Great tag line - MAGA! Fun...love for America & Americans!

Hillary was a lazy, washed out dish rag.