Post Asd33YLHO5HN9CIjKa by cigitalgem@sigmoid.social
(DIR) More posts by cigitalgem@sigmoid.social
(DIR) Post #AsYMofJsBrq5ji1R0y by matthew_d_green@ioc.exchange
2025-03-29T14:14:57Z
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I just heard that a cryptography professor at Indiana University had his house raided and was fired. Don’t know much more. https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2025/03/28/fbi-department-of-homeland-security-agents-search-house-in-bloomington-indiana/82710451007/
(DIR) Post #AsYMol1eyUprQxXySW by matthew_d_green@ioc.exchange
2025-03-29T14:20:48Z
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House belonged to Xiaofeng Wang.
(DIR) Post #AsYMoq52BNVP6sAEue by matthew_d_green@ioc.exchange
2025-03-29T14:22:36Z
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Xiaofeng’s profile is no longer available on IU sites. So here’s his Google Scholar. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pONu-5EAAAAJ&hl=en
(DIR) Post #AsYUF6UCVXEDCTPGvg by ljean@infosec.exchange
2025-03-29T14:35:15Z
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@matthew_d_green He has always been a hard-working play by the rules colleague. I do not know what he is charged with. I am not confident that he is being provided full due process for a named chair by the University. I may be wrong, but I do not have the information that would provide that confidence right now.He has been an excellent colleague for 20+ years. Being under investigation is not a crime. I have been asking for information. I do not have it. Unless he is found guilty in a court of law or I get significantly more information, I would like to say I am standing with him. But I do not know how to. So right now, I will say that I have been proud to have been his colleague for two decades. I do not even know if he is still my colleague? He is on administrative leave. I can not say he is not getting due process - clearly there was a warrant issued. I do not know what is happening.There is nothing more patriotic in America than demanding transparency in justice and due process, except possibly the notion of innocence until proven guilty.
(DIR) Post #AscmmaxymMYT63IKhc by bees@infosec.exchange
2025-03-29T16:10:01Z
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@matthew_d_green Wang has a history of coauthoring papers with academics working and studying at sensitive universities, on sensitive topics. I hope this isn't the beginning of an inhuman dragnet.
(DIR) Post #Ascmmc5oaiPuady6YS by hovav@infosec.exchange
2025-03-29T19:18:02Z
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@bees @matthew_d_green "Sensitive topics"?
(DIR) Post #Ascmmcmi1EjCjg2MPg by bees@infosec.exchange
2025-03-29T22:20:57Z
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@hovav @matthew_d_green So I say sensitive and it definitely understates Wang's contributions to computer science - his h-index alone puts him within the 80th percentile of researchers. It's hard to be influential and prolific without some of your work being sensitive In 2023-2024 alone, he specialized in confidential computing, info leaks, and exploitation. There isn't a singular answer which sticks out.Some of his research (e.g. Wang et al 2024) is with coauthors based at China Academy of Science institutions which have been subject to some major scrutiny. I don't think this alone has been cause for concern in the past, but who knows these days.It's possible he was considering changing employment, perhaps to a PRC university, and that alone is enough to trigger a major investigation. I consider this a chilling effect that will cause more brain drain. I don't blame anyone for getting perturbed by that level of suspicion.Or it's possible that some more precedented kind of misappropriation or breach occurred. That would be a shame.
(DIR) Post #Asd33W8nZW6iJuRjbE by adamshostack@infosec.exchange
2025-03-29T15:38:32Z
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@matthew_d_green Is it normal for a university to memory hole a former professor's pages? I thought the norm was to keep scholarship present, but possibly mark it as an inactive page.
(DIR) Post #Asd33XOQusCwCgljbk by mattblaze@federate.social
2025-03-29T15:41:49Z
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@adamshostack @matthew_d_green This is the part that's especially concerning. We don't know what the arrest was about (and whether it was even for a crime or an immigration matter), but it's hard to imagine what reason there could be for the university to scrub its website as if he never worked there.Either the government put pressure on them or the university was involved in whatever it was about.
(DIR) Post #Asd33YLHO5HN9CIjKa by cigitalgem@sigmoid.social
2025-03-29T16:50:44Z
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@mattblaze @adamshostack @matthew_d_green I emailed the dean (I am on the school's advisory board) asking what's going on.
(DIR) Post #Asd33YyH36TH68Xs6y by cigitalgem@sigmoid.social
2025-03-31T14:46:39Z
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@mattblaze @adamshostack @matthew_d_green slated a call with the administration (of IU) for this afternoon.
(DIR) Post #Asd33Zmy0d1LdMGM7s by SteveBellovin@infosec.exchange
2025-03-31T15:57:56Z
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@cigitalgem @mattblaze @adamshostack @matthew_d_green Be strategic in your questions. They're *not* going to tell you what's going on, nor will they say if it's a traditional “spying for China" investigation. They may be willing to say if the situation is related to the current ICE nonsense. No idea if they'll explain why they memory-holed his web page, etc.
(DIR) Post #Asd33aVHLsSxqmzkC8 by mattblaze@federate.social
2025-03-31T17:48:51Z
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@SteveBellovin @cigitalgem @adamshostack @matthew_d_green If I understand correctly, there is still no public information (from anyone) about his status or whereabouts. He could be in custody, a fugitive, kidnapped, or simply missing.
(DIR) Post #Asd33bUxeXo2w5r0L2 by noplasticshower@infosec.exchange
2025-03-31T17:50:35Z
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@mattblaze @SteveBellovin @cigitalgem @adamshostack @matthew_d_green I have been told by the IU Luddy dean that this is not an ICE or immigration issue. So he is not in ICE custody.
(DIR) Post #Asd33c7xJYzwt2697Q by adamshostack@infosec.exchange
2025-03-31T18:27:27Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@noplasticshower @mattblaze @SteveBellovin @cigitalgem @matthew_d_green @spaf had additional comments on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7312494851726462976/?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A(activity%3A7312494851726462976%2C7312501615515574274)&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A(7312501615515574274%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7312494851726462976)&dashReplyUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A(7312534119316369408%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7312494851726462976)&replyUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A(activity%3A7312494851726462976%2C7312534119316369408)
(DIR) Post #Asd33f6eEsjc7qVdzs by mattblaze@federate.social
2025-03-29T15:43:36Z
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@adamshostack @matthew_d_green And while there's a process for removing tenured faculty, it takes more than an afternoon to do it.