During the months Manning worked with the Army鈥檚 10th Mountain Division in Iraq, it was apparently easy for him to find, download, and copy sensitive military information. Writing in an online chat, he claims to have had 鈥渦nprecedented access to classified networks 14 hours a day 7 days a week for 8+ months.鈥�
鈥淚 would come in with music on a CD-RW labeled with something like 鈥�Lady Gaga鈥� 鈥� erase the music 鈥� then write a compressed split file,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淣o one suspected a thing 鈥� I listened and lip-synched to Lady Gaga鈥檚 鈥楾elephone鈥� while exfiltrating possibly the largest data spillage in American history.鈥�
鈥淲eak servers, weak logging, weak physical security, weak counterintelligence, inattentive signal analysis,鈥� Manning wrote. 鈥淎 perfect storm.鈥�
鈥淣o one suspected a thing,鈥� he wrote to a former computer hacker who eventually tipped off the FBI and Army officials. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even have to hide anything.鈥�
Officials have told the Associated Press that Manning is the prime suspect in the most recent leak of diplomatic cables. He is now awaiting court martial at the US Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va. He faces up to 52 years in prison.
