Question on the state of the security industry (second half not necessarily on topic)

[Steven M. Bellovin]

In message <Pine.LNX.4.44.0407050054440.30937-100000 at potato.zayda.com>, Jason H
olt writes:
>

>[...]
>
>I had the same question about the NSA when some friends were interviewing
>there.  Apparently investigators will just show up at your house and want to
>know all sorts of things about your friends, who you may or may not know to be
>in the process of looking for work there.
>
>As I understand it, the investigators don't even carry NSA badges; they're DSS
>or private investigators.

In all seriousness, background investigations have been outsourced...

I had a similar experience a few years ago.  I was supposed to visit 
the --- agency.  Someone I had *not* been dealing with called to ask 
for my social security number and birthdate.  I declined, on the 
grounds that I had no idea who he was.  "But if I'm not legitimate, how 
do I know you're going to visit tomorrow?"  My reply was "you're from 
--- and you don't think people can learn things they're not supposed
to know?"

He was livid -- "if you don't tell me, you can't visit".  I told him 
that that was fine with me, and he should get my usual contact to call 
me.  "But he's unavailable today!".  I indicated that I was still 
unconcerned -- and 10 minutes later, this unavailable person called 
me...

On the other hand, when my broker called last week and asked for some 
confidential info, he was very understanding and co-operative when I 
declined to give out that information over the phone when he had called 
me.  So it's not completely hopeless.


		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb


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