Public Intelligence

An unnamed representative of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives has requested the removal of a document from this website. The document in question was published more than 2 years ago in January 2010 when this website was less than six months old. The document is effectively one page in length, with a cover and an information page listing a phone number and contact information. The one page of content in the document describes an incident in September 2008 when a quantity of “Magnum Ultra” explosive detonator material from a supply store in Concord, North Carolina.

Takedown notice from the Netherlands National Police Agency (KLPD) demanding the removal of issues of Inspire Magazine from this site, February 25, 2011.

A representative of Morgan Stanley has demanded the removal of a document originally released by the online hacktivist group Anonymous. Morgan Stanley’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Physical Memory Standard Operating Procedures is a 23-page document that details procedures written by HBGary employee Phil Wallisch for Morgan Stanley’s CERT. The original source of the document is an email from Phil Wallisch to the Morgan Stanley CERT in June 2010. The document is available in other formats from a variety of sites hosting the AnonLeaks HBGary files.

On December 30, 2010, Captain Andrew Poulos, Jr. of the U.S. Army Police sent Public Intelligence a threatening demand to remove a document from this site. The U.S. Army Police Intelligence Fraudulent Law Enforcement Credentials and Badges Guide, which was posted less than ten hours prior, is a “law enforcement sensitive” and “for official use only” document that details forged credentials which may be used by criminals and terrorists posing as law enforcement officials. The document is unique in that the warnings against publication featured on its cover claim to subject anyone who publishes the document to penalties, stating that the “release of information contained herein without the permission of the United States Government is prohibited by law, and may subject those responsible for its unauthorized release to criminal and/or civil penalties”. The message sent by Captain Poulos seems to echo this statement, demanding that if we do not remove the document we must “provide the name and contact information for the individual for which legal process can be served.”

A message received from the Project Controls Analyst for the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on November 3, 2010 requests the removal of a For Official Use Only FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate Nuclear/Radiological Outreach Briefing which was presented at an event held in September 2010 regarding Test and Research Reactor facilities.

A Vice-President of TransUnion has demanded that we remove two documents from this site that he says are copyrighted. Gary S. Friedlander, Vice President & Division General Counsel for TransUnion LLC, says that our posting of the documents constitutes “intentional infringement” and he threatens that “Trans Union can file a lawsuit against you seeking among other things: preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, money damages, and attorneys’ fees”. Mr. Friedlander also demands that we “immediately destroy any and all copies of Trans Union copyrighted material in your possession and/or control”.

On September 15, 2010 we received a notice from an unknown Security Officer at the Virginia Fusion Center requesting that we immediately remove all documents issued by that entity from our site. In early February, we received a notice from a Special Agent Richard A. Havasy Jr. that requested we remove a “Law Enforcement Sensitive” copy of the Virginia Fusion Center’s report on the Bloods street gang. Since then, we have published two more reports from the Virginia Fusion Center, including a “For Official Use Only” Education Facilities Threat Assessment and a “Law Enforcement Sensitive” report on the Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) street gang.

On August 5, 2010 we received a message from a Riyas Paramban who purportedly represents the Information Technology and Services (IT&S) Digital Security Alert Centre of BP plc. The notice requests that we remove a document concerning BP’s use of RFID technology for tracking not only equipment, but its own employees, specifying that the material is “BP Confidential and disclosure of this document may lead to security breach.”

On July 29, 2010, Public Intelligence received a notice from Paul Malcolm of Booz Allen Hamilton in support of the U.S. Air Force Key Management Infrastructure program. Mr. Malcolm is very polite in requesting the removal of two “For Official Use Only” documents, one of which, he says, is proprietary. Both documents concern the Simple Key Loader, a fill device used to load cryptographic keys into encryption systems. The first document is the U.S. Air Force SKL Wireless & Black Data Distribution System Overview. The second is the Simple Key Loader Instruction Guide. Neither of the documents bear any particular markings indicating their proprietary nature. While he does not specify which document is proprietary, it is possible that the SKL Instruction Guide is thought to be proprietary because it concerns the functioning and operation of a device produced under contract and ostensibly owned by the Sierra Nevada Corporation. In fact, it is from the official website of the Sierra Nevada Corporation that both of these documents were originally and inadvertently made available. One is still available.

In a rather bizaare turn of events, representatives of FEMA have again contacted us requesting the removal of a document from out site. Previously, we were contacted by FEMA regarding the “National Level Exercise 2010 (NLE 10) Exercise Overview” which we had posted more than seven months prior. This time they are requesting that we remove one of the first documents that we ever posted in May 2009. The document is a brief presentation discussing Electronic Designation and Validation of Federal/Emergency Response Officials (F/EROs) in support of National Preparedness in the National Capital Region. In fact, it has only 25 slides in its entirety.

Allen-Vanguard Corporation’s threat to Public Intelligence, June 18, 2010.

The following notice was received by our main hosting provider LeaseWeb BV from the attorneys of Visa International Service Association on June 15, 2010.

Public Intelligence has received a message from Captain Douglas R. Keyer, Jr. of the New York State Police requesting the removal of a fourteen-page “Gang Intelligence Newsletter” from November 2009 that is labeled “For Official Use Only” and “Law Enforcement Sensitive”. The document, which was published March 31, is evidently part of a series of monthly “Gang Intelligence Newsletters” that are issued to law enforcement personnel around the country. The newsletter contains brief profiles of the Aryan Brotherhood, National Socialist Movement, as well as some information on identifying gang tattoos and graffiti. This is also the second notice we have received that specifically requests us to identify the source of our information.

During the month of April 2010, we have received the same message twice from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department concerning a Law Enforcement Sensitive brief entitled “Silver Shield: Nevada’s Approach to Critical Infrastructure Protection” from November 2007. The briefing discusses various aspects of Suspicious Activity Reporting, Fusion Center integration, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to patrol portions of the city for aerial photography during incident response.

On April 19, 2010, Public Intelligence received a notice from George White, Information Security Officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, requesting the removal of a “For Official Use Only” document posted less than one day prior. The “Criminal Justice Information Services Security Policy” is a draft document dated January 1, 2011 discussing the security procedures and implementation of future additions to the CJIS system.

On April 13, 2010, we received a message from Danny Rains who is an investigator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the “Office of Security” requesting the removal of a document entitled “National Level Exercise 2010 (NLE 10) Exercise Overview”. The ten page document, which is described in FEMA’s request as “very sensitive”, consists of approximately 20 PowerPoint slides including the title page and was published nearly seven months ago on August 8, 2009. The document is labeled “For Official Use Only” and is marked as a draft copy. The contents of the brief are basically a calender of potential dates for the exercise and very brief descriptions of some preliminary plans for the exercise. The document has already been seen by a large number of people and has been discussed on a variety of websites and forums, including mirrors in some cases.

The following message was received on April 5, 2010 from a Captain Brad Carnduff of the Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center. This is the third notice we have received from a U.S. fusion center. The previous two notices, from the Virginia Fusion Center and the Rocky Mountain Information Network, were both received in the month of February. This notice is unique in that it requests the identity of the “person, group or organization who forwarded this Daily Intelligence Note to your attention”. It also asks that we “contact the STIC prior to posting” similar material in the future.

In the month of February, we have received multiple notices from U.S. Intelligence Fusion Centers requesting the removal of documents from our archive. The notices originated from the following entities:

1. Virginia Fusion Center
2. Rocky Mountain Information Network

To whom it may concern,

Please take this e-mail as an official request to remove the above listed posting as well as the five .pdf files and the zip file containing the five separate files. These items are marked as law enforcement sensitive and were not intended for non LEO consumption. The original source of your information did not have the authority to post these documents on a publicly available server and removed access to them immediately after being requested to do so. Please respond to this e-mail as to your intentions in this matter. I appreciate your assistance.

Brian Russell
USSS-NCFI

To Whom it may concern,
On 07 September 2009, the NATO Computer Incedent Response Capability TC detected a NATO classified document posted on your website at http://www.publicintelligence.net/nato-report-on-russian-ballistic-rockets-and-missiles/
The document is entitled “Ballistic Rockets and Missiles” and bears the NATO RESTRICTED marks.
Investigation are ongoing in order to verify the reliability of the document and its NATO classification. However, you are requested to immediately remove the document from the website.
Regards,
Giulio Ferraresi
Major ITA Army
Head, Incident Handling Cell
NCIRC TC
NCSA NITC
SHAPE
NCN: (254) 2682
+32 65 44 2682
+32 65 44 5414 Fax NU
Email: Giulio.Ferraresi@ncirc.nato.int

Subject: FW: FOUO DCGS-A Commanders Handbook On Public Website (i.e., http://publicintelligence.net) (UNCLASSIFIED)
From: “Garcia, Michael F LTC NG USA”
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 09:42:46 -0700
To:
CC: “McCue, Thomas V Mr CIV USA USAASC” , “Evans, Sandra C CIV USA USAASC” , “Wong, Wai L Mr CIV USA USAASC” , “Depue, Tara CIV USA USAASC” , “Vile, Stephen MAJ RES USA USARC”

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

ALCON,

It has come to our attention our DCGS-A Commander’s Handbook is posted
on your website. The document is FOUO and needs to be password protect
and removed from your website ASAP.

Thank you,
LTC Mike Garcia
Asst TCM-Sensor Processing
Bldg 41419, Ft. Huachuca, Az 85615
Office# 520-533-8938
michael.f.garcia[at]us.army.mil
michael.f.garcia[at]us.army.smil.mil