Stratfor on Iran, Palantir and Goldman Sachs

It is impossible to argue otherwise, after one days from the publication of mail stolen during the hack to Stratfor, it’s time to analyze them in the light of political events in recent years. More than a surprise in many cases we have had confirmation on the controversial work made by governments, companies and security agencies involved in many cases in the news.

Stratfor was founded over a decade by George Friedman, a former political science professor and is considered a private CIA, an intelligence agency with dense network of informants within the major institutions and governments.
It ‘was not only recognized the company’s ability to provide intelligence reports on extremely delicate situation, but also the ability to intervene in any way by working on the actors involved in the events. We are moving in murky scenario, made of wrongdoing, that everyone imagines, that nobody talks about, who really care at all.

The first news that I noted is that Israel was involved in the explosions behind missile bases in Iran. Israeli commandos in fact, with the help of Kurdish fighters in November managed to destroy an Iranian missile base near Tehran. In an e-mail of November, Stratfor’s employees discuss about the explosion citing an own source which was asked what he thinks of the news relating to a military offensive against Iran.
The email in subject contains a conversation centered on Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak praising the news of deadly munitions blasts at a base of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

“I think this is a diversion. The Israelis already destroyed all the Iranian nuclear infrastructure on the ground weeks ago,” one intelligence official wrote in an email dated November 14, 2011. “The current ‘let’s bomb Iran’ campaign was ordered by the EU leaders to divert the public attention from their at home financial problems. It plays also well for the US since Pakistan, Russia and N. Korea are mentioned in the report. ”

We are talking about diversion bombing ordered by the European Union to divert media attention from far more serious problems at this time.
Recall that at stake is the seal of the EU itself undermined by the disastrous economic situation of countries like Greece, but also embarrassing prospects that surround the future of countries like Spain and Italy.

Therefore legitimate to ask what was the bargaining chip with Isreal, real executor of the diversions.

Another interesting news is related to the alleged relationship between the popular social network Facebook and company close to the CIA. Social networks are now recognized as powerful tools for the collection of information and the definition of profiles related to particular interest subject. Friendships, relationships, photos, contacts and data on space-time location of an entity makes social networks privileged tools for the investigation. The news is not new, already circulated in recent weeks, regarding the insistence of the FBI involvement in the development of systems analysis software for monitoring social media. Of particular interest is the popular sentiment, opinions on specific topics, utterances, membership in social and political campaigns, a privileged and indispensable source of information.
Many people, myself included, do not believe the Zuckerberg’s story, the platform is actually a machine with an immense potential impossible to believe that its genesis is casual, it is for sure the result of a complex project, targeted at a mass voluntary filing. Impossible to know if there is behind the CIA or some group of hungry multinationals.
In an email published expressly refers to the Palantir as a possible funder of Facebook. In that email between two Stratfor’s analysts one of them writes: “I think Palantir is involved in things less clear, including the financing of Facebook.” The Palantir is a California company that project platform for complex information analysis. It was founded in 2004 and currently offer two main system Palantir Government and Palantir Finance, both are platforms for integrating, visualizing, and analyzing the world’s information. Palantir Government is broadly deployed in the intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities, and is spreading rapidly by word-of-mouth. Palantir Finance is in use at some of the world’s leading hedge funds and financial institutions.

Finance and Government two worlds, one soul.

The name of Palantir appeared for the first time during the hacking of HBGary Federal company, when documents were some stolen detailing the involvement of the Palantir to attack and destroy WikiLeaks.
Do not you find it interesting?

The company’s position is even worse if it is assumed the possibility of use information gained through insider, “convinced” to cooperate, to make huge profits. Stratfor was then scheduled with the management of Goldman Sachs’ use of information gained from intelligence operations. Several emails demonstrate that in 2009 then-Goldman Sachs Managing Director Shea Morenz and Stratfor CEO George Friedman have had the idea to make profit of the intelligence operations made by Stratfor utilizing the acquired information to start up a strategic investment fund.  CEO George Friedman explained in a confidential August 2011 document, marked DO NOT SHARE OR DISCUSS :

What StratCap (the new fund) will do is use our Stratfor’s intelligence and analysis to trade in a range of geopolitical instruments, particularly government bonds, currencies and the like“.

The emails show that in 2011 Goldman Sach’s Morenz invested “substantially” more than $4million and joined Stratfor’s board of directors. Throughout 2011, a complex offshore share structure extending as far as South Africa was erected, designed to make StratCap appear to be legally independent. But, confidentially, Friedman told StratFor staff :

“Do not think of StratCap as an outside organisation. It will be integral… It will be useful to you if, for the sake of convenience, you think of it as another aspect of Stratfor and Shea as another executive in Stratfor… we are already working on mock portfolios and trades”. StratCap is due to launch in 2012.

The question remains … why a mine of so confidential information in possession of a company that specializes in intelligence services, has not been adequately protected?
Might someone have an interest in the disclosure of information?

Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.

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