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   BrianKrebs (briankrebs@infosec.exchange)'s status on Thursday, 20-Feb-2025 10:51:59 JST BrianKrebs

   Day 5 of posting about the coup on Linkedin. I can't begin to count the number of people in infosec LI who messaged privately to say keep going, nobody's talking about this here, this is important, etc. That's been nice.

   But then also a lot of times when I check these peoples' timelines on LI it's like <crickets>. So that makes me a little sad. But then I think, self, you're in a much better position to piss off infosec LI than most, and that's to be expected. And that's a good thing.

   Also, there are SO many people in or on the fringe of the infosec industry that have such horrible takes on why it is okay to break the law, flout the courts, the Constitution and Congress in the name of fighting "government fraud." As if that's not just a replacement for "election fraud," which likewise hasn't materialized. Anyway, I guess they're all on record as cheering the nazi parade, so there's that.

   I'm generally not engaging in conversations with these cult followers, because never argue with an idiot, right? But I also don't want the same drones cluttering up my timeline with inanities and whataboutism. So my strong inclination is to block useful idiots, but then I think well why am I even here if I'm doing that? I did block some people though and it felt good.

   As you can see, I am somewhat conflicted about this project.

   • Embed this notice
     BrianKrebs (briankrebs@infosec.exchange)'s status on Thursday, 20-Feb-2025 10:51:58 JST BrianKrebs

     in reply to

     Ken is a good example of the kinds of direct messages I get a lot on LinkedIn these days. Ken's profile says he's a Microsoft specialist.

     Or is he...?

     Ken's profile says it was created in 2007, so it's not an account that just materialized. Something in me wants to give Ken the benefit of the doubt.

     This opening message from Ken is typical in that it

     a) seems to be worded oddly for a native English speaker
     b) suggests I'm taking money to speak out (in this case from USAID no less)
     c) asserts that I am slandering the administration and
     d) menacingly or vaguely promising retribution. Ken's message is somewhat confusingly worded ("I'm text to a bot"), and that caught my eye again. So I decided to take the bait.

     Ken Payne
     9:55 PM

     How much $ do u get from USAID - indirectly ? George Mason. International studies. We know. 😂 im text to a bot. But your slanderous days are over.

     Brian Krebs
     10:07 PM
     Hi Ken. You're a bot? Really? Tell me more. That would explain a lot.

     Ken Payne
     10:16 PM
     No, I’m not a bot. But i thought you are. I welcome a conversation.

     Brian Krebs
     10:16 PM
     Do you always start conversations this way?

     Ken:
     Is Ronald Reagan the president of?

     Brian Krebs
     10:17 PM
     Is English your language of?

     Ken Payne
     10:17 PM
     Testing the AI

     Brian Krebs
     10:18 PM
     oh. I'm talking with AI?

     Ken Payne
     10:18 PM
     We can talk any time.

     Brian Krebs
     10:18 PM
     Apparently one of us can

     Brian Krebs
     10:19 PM
     Well, Ken, I gotta hand it to you: You drank the Microsoft Kool-Aid, and I guess after that the Trump Kool-aid went down real easy, right?

     Prove to me you're not a bot, Ken.

     Ken Payne
     10:20 PM

     I’m him free now. U disapprove of DOGE. I support it. U are more suspicious than I.

     Brian Krebs
     10:21 PM
     I think you either are a bot that's part of an influence campaign, or you're just not that bright. You certainly don't speak like someone who has an education, or a very good grasp of the English language.

     Ken Payne
     10:22 PM
     I work at MSFT. but I see their sins. Perhaps Chinese intelligence influence. Dunno

     Brian Krebs
     10:22 PM
     So Ken, how can YOU prove you're a real person?

     Can I call you?
     Ken, I'm starting to have real doubts about your non-botness
     Ken?

     Unsurprisingly, Ken didn't want to chat on the phone, or give a phone number.

     Is Ken a bot? Or is Ken just another useless idiot? Either way, there sure are a lot of Kens.

     Rich Felker and Paul Cantrell repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     BrianKrebs (briankrebs@infosec.exchange)'s status on Thursday, 20-Feb-2025 10:51:58 JST BrianKrebs

     in reply to

     My efforts to keep the coup on the minds of people who follow on LinkedIn have produced mixed results. But those posts are undeniably being read by a lot of people, so that makes me happy.