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German hacker club offers Snowden, Manning honorary membership

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BERLIN A German hacking group says it is offering honorary membership to NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, a U.S. soldier convicted of providing classified documents to WikiLeaks.

The Chaos Computer Club says its members voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move late Sunday.

Spokeswoman Constanze Kurz said Monday that members of the group, which describes itself as "Europe's largest association of hackers," also pledged to financially support Snowden's efforts to avoid extradition to the United States.

Snowden, who is currently in Russia, has been charged with espionage and other offenses in the U.S. and could get 30 years in prison if convicted.

Manning is serving a 35-year prison sentence for giving anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks more than 700,000 secret military and U.S. State Department documents.

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Chaos Computer Club: http://www.ccc.de/en/

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German hacker club offers Snowden, Manning honorary membership

Edward Snowden’s Other Motive for Leaking

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He wasn't just trying to spark democratic debate on surveillance. He also hoped his revelations would prompt programmers to build better encryption.

Reuters

A few pages into Glenn Greenwald's newly released book,

My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name," he reportedly wrote in a note to his collaborators, "and that which is done against them."

Actually, though, he had a second motive. Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." Snowden wrote:

While I pray that public awareness and debate will lead to reform, bear in mind that the policies of men change in time, and even the Constitution is subverted when the appetites of power demand it. In words from history: Let us speak no more of faith in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of cryptography.

Even if most people had ignored Snowden, he might not have judged his own actions a total waste. After all, they might have inspired a single cryptographer to innovate. That could be hugely significant.

The quote above isn't the only one that supports this analysis. Greenwald reproduces another paragraph that Snowden wrote to reporter and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras early in their correspondence, characterizing it as "the crux of what he viewed as his mission." Snowden wrote:

The shock of this initial period [after the first revelations] will provide the support needed to build a more equal internet, but this will not work to the advantage of the average person unless science outpaces law. By understanding the mechanisms through which our privacy is violated, we can win here. We can guarantee for all people equal protection against unreasonable search through universal laws, but only if the technical community is willing to face the threat and commit to implementing over-engineered solutions. In the end, we must enforce a principle whereby the only way the powerful may enjoy privacy is when it is the same kind shared by the ordinary: one enforced by the laws of nature, rather than the policies of man.

I may be forgetting about a statement or series of statements that Snowden made over the last year. But as best I can remember, these are the clearest passages that we have indicating a second primary motive. Snowden was trying to reach the masses to inform us and spark a debate that somehow reined in the NSA.

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Edward Snowden's Other Motive for Leaking

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May 13, 2014

Photos of Edward Snowden, a contractor at the US National Security Agency (NSA), and US President Barack Obama are printed on the front pages of newspapers in Hong Kong in this file illustration photo taken on June 11, 2013. Reuters pic, May 13, 2014.Edward Snowden was "profoundly at peace" with his decision to leak national security documents, and even joked about the consequences, journalist Glenn Greenwald says in a new book.

"I call the bottom bunk at Gitmo," Snowden joked, referring to the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, says the book to be released today, excerpts of which were published yesterday in The Guardian.

Greenwald, recounting the series of discussions last year in Hong Kong when the former National Security Agency contractor decided to reveal his identity, said Snowden appeared to sleep soundly and was "completely refreshed the next day" despite the tension.

"Snowden had seemed unbothered" by the prospect of facing US prosecution for releasing the classified materials on NSA surveillance programmes, Greenwald wrote, adding that "a giddy gallows humour crept into our dealings".

"When we asked him about his ability to sleep so well under the circumstances, Snowden said that he felt profoundly at peace with what he had done and so the nights were easy," said Greenwald, who met with Snowden in Hong Kong with Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill.

"'I figure I have very few days left with a comfortable pillow,'" he joked, 'so I might as well enjoy them.'"

Greenwald also described manoeuvres that allowed Snowden to avoid a throng of journalists in Hong Kong looking for him after the video in which he revealed his identity was released on The Guardian website.

He wrote that two human rights lawyers arrived at the hotel where Snowden and three journalists were staying to assist Snowden, but that Greenwald had to find a way to get him away without confronting the horde of media.

Snowden said he had a way to make himself "unrecognisable" but they needed a way to get him away without being followed, Greenwald wrote.

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Glenn Greenwald’s Pulse-Pounding Tale of Breaking the Snowden Leaks

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Edward Snowden photographed in Moscow, Russia December, 2013. Photo: Barton Gellman/Getty Images

In June 2013, Edward Snowden was sitting in his room at the Mira hotel in Hong Kong, watching the world react to the first of his explosive leaks about the NSAs out-of-control surveillance, when he was tipped off that the NSA might be closing in on him.

Snowdens identity as the source of the documents was still unknown to the public. But through a net-connected device he installed at his now-abandoned home in Hawaii to watch out for the watchers presumably an IP surveillance camera with microphone he knew when two people from the NSA showed up at the house looking for him, an NSA police officer and someone from human resources.

This is one of the new details revealed in No Place to Hide, the much-anticipated book by journalist Glenn Greenwald, who worked with Snowden and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras to publish a number of blockbuster stories about the NSA.

Snowden had known it would only be a matter of time before the NSA was on his trail he had intentionally left electronic footprints behind that would help the agency identify him as the leaker.

Though he could have covered his tracks the NSAs internal security was so poor the agency failed to catch him downloading thousands of documents over many weeks he hadnt wanted his colleagues to be subjected to needless suspicion or false accusations during the inevitable investigation that would follow the leaks. Snowden in fact intended to reveal his identity with the first story that was published, but Greenwald convinced him to wait so that the publics initial reactions would be focused on the NSA leaks and not the leaker.

The book, which is being released today, provides an extensive look at Greenwalds earliest encounters online and in person with the mysterious whistleblower who for months would only identify himself as Cincinnatus. It also expands on existing reporting about the agencys spy operations through the publication of more than 50 previously unpublished documents.

Although there may be little in the documents thats startling to anyone who has carefully followed the leak revelations over the last year, the book does a good job of providing an overview of what the documents and stories have revealed until now, while adding fresh detail. [One complaint with the book, however, is the lack of an index. Greenwald has said he plans to publish it online today, but this won't likely satisfy readers with print copies who don't want to jump on their computer or phone each time they want to find something in the book.]

Among the fresh details he reports the NSA routinely intercepts networking devices such as routers, servers, and switches as theyre in transit from U.S. sellers to international customers and plants digital bugging devices in them, before repackaging them with a factory seal and sending them on their way. Although its been previously reported that the NSA, CIA and FBI intercept laptops to install spyware, the tampering with network hardware would potentially affect more users and data.

He also reports that U.S. telecoms partnering with foreign telecoms to upgrade their networks help subvert foreign networks for the spy agency.

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Glenn Greenwald’s Pulse-Pounding Tale of Breaking the Snowden Leaks

Edward Snowden ‘at peace’ with leaks

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Edward Snowden says he's at peace with his decision to leak national security documents, and even joked about the consequences, journalist Glenn Greenwald says in a new book.

Excerpts from Greenwald's No Place to Hide have been published in The Guardian ahead of the books release on Tuesday.

"I call the bottom bunk at Gitmo," Snowden joked, referring to the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the book says.

Greenwald, recounting the series of discussions he had last year in Hong Kong when the former National Security Agency contractor decided to reveal his identity, said Snowden appeared to sleep soundly and was "completely refreshed the next day" despite the tension.

"Snowden had seemed unbothered" by the prospect of facing US prosecution for releasing the classified materials on NSA surveillance programs, Greenwald wrote, adding that "a giddy gallows humour crept into our dealings."

"When we asked him about his ability to sleep so well under the circumstances, Snowden said that he felt profoundly at peace with what he had done and so the nights were easy," said Greenwald, who met with Snowden in Hong Kong with Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill.

"'I figure I have very few days left with a comfortable pillow, so I might as well enjoy them,'" Snowden joked.

Greenwald also described manoeuvres that allowed Snowden to avoid a throng of journalists in Hong Kong looking for him after a video, in which he revealed his identity, was released on The Guardian website.

He wrote that two human rights lawyers arrived at the hotel where Snowden and three journalists were staying to assist Snowden, but that Greenwald had to find a way to get him away without confronting the horde of media.

Snowden said he had a way to make himself "unrecognisable" but they needed a way to get him away without being followed, Greenwald wrote.

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Edward Snowden 'at peace' with leaks

Greenwald ‘Overwhelmed With Shock’ Upon Meeting Edward Snowden

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By Kate Snow

Glenn Greenwald says his new book, "No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State" is an attempt to present the entire story of his dealings with one of the most famous whistle-blowers of all time: Edward Snowden.

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"There's been so much said about our reporting about Edward Snowden, about how these documents came to light, so much of which is not true," Greenwald told NBC News National Correspondent Kate Snow. "And this is an opportunity to tell the actual story."

Last summer, Greenwald began publishing reports based on documents leaked to him by the former NSA employee. The stories caused a public debate over the use and limits of government surveillance. Currently Greenwald writes for a digital magazine owned by First Look Media. NBC News has a collaboration agreement with that company.

Greenwald described how the entire episode began with Snowden reaching out to Greenwald in an unsolicited email, using the alias "Cincinnatus" (a reference to a Roman warrior who defended the city against attack). Greenwald ignored those first email entreaties and almost missed the scoop of his career.

Watch the video below to hear Greenwald's account of how he first met Snowden.

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First published May 12 2014, 1:40 PM

Kate Snow is a national correspondent for NBC News, contributing stories to "Nightly News with Brian Williams," the "TODAY" show and Dateline. In this role, she also serves as a fill-in anchor for "Nightly News with Brian Williams" and the "TODAY" show. Prior to being named national correspondent, Snow served as correspondent for "Rock Center with Brian Williams".

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Greenwald 'Overwhelmed With Shock' Upon Meeting Edward Snowden

Reported NSA backdoors might open up networks to more threats

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Allegations that the NSA installed surveillance tools in U.S.-made network equipment, if true, could mean enterprises have more to worry about than just government spying.

While the U.S. government warned router buyers that the Chinese government might spy on them through networking gear made in China, the U.S. National Security Agency was doing that very thing, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper Monday.

The NSA physically intercepted routers, servers and other network equipment and installed surveillance tools before slapping on a factory seal and sending the products on to their destinations, according to the report, which is extracted from an upcoming book by Glenn Greenwald, a journalist who last year helped expose sensitive documents uncovered by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

With the tools it installs, the NSA can gain access to entire internal networks, the story said. For example, in a report on its use of the technology, the NSA said an embedded beacon was able to call back to the agency and provided us access to further exploit the device and survey the network, Greenwald wrote.

The new charge vastly expands the scope of alleged NSA spying beyond the interception of traffic across the Internet, said Ranga Krishnan, a technology fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. As an example, he pointed to reports from the Snowden documents that the NSA had tapped into Googles own fiber network among its data centers, where the company hadnt encrypted the traffic at all.

Thats how most organizations function, Krishnan said. So once youre within the companys router, you have access to all that data thats unencrypted.

In addition, any security hole that a government installs could open up the network to attacks by others, he added.

If you have made something vulnerable ... somebody else could discover that and very well use it, Krishnan said.

The House Intelligence Committee and other arms of the U.S. government have warned for years that networking equipment from vendors in China, namely Huawei Technologies and ZTE, poses a threat to U.S. service providers because of possible links between those companies and the Chinese government.

Specifically, critics have raised alarms that the government could install backdoor surveillance tools in the gear they sell, giving Chinese spies access to communications in the U.S. Those warnings reportedly have held back Huawei and ZTEs sales in the U.S. The companies have said their equipment is safe.

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Reported NSA backdoors might open up networks to more threats

NSA backdoors my open networks to new threats, report says

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IDG News Service - Allegations that the NSA installed surveillance tools in U.S.-made network equipment, if true, could mean enterprises have more to worry about than just government spying.

While the U.S. government warned router buyers that the Chinese government might spy on them through networking gear made in China, the U.S. National Security Agency was doing that very thing, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper Monday.

The NSA physically intercepted routers, servers and other network equipment and installed surveillance tools before slapping on a factory seal and sending the products on to their destinations, according to the report, which is extracted from an upcoming book by Glenn Greenwald, a journalist who last year helped expose sensitive documents uncovered by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

With the tools it installs, the NSA can gain access to entire internal networks, the story said. For example, in a report on its use of the technology, the NSA said an embedded beacon was able to call back to the agency and "provided us access to further exploit the device and survey the network," Greenwald wrote.

The new charge vastly expands the scope of alleged NSA spying beyond the interception of traffic across the Internet, said Ranga Krishnan, a technology fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. As an example, he pointed to reports from the Snowden documents that the NSA had tapped into Google's own fiber network among its data centers, where the company hadn't encrypted the traffic at all.

"That's how most organizations function," Krishnan said. "So once you're within the company's router, you have access to all that data that's unencrypted."

In addition, any security hole that a government installs could open up the network to attacks by others, he added.

"If you have made something vulnerable ... somebody else could discover that and very well use it," Krishnan said.

The House Intelligence Committee and other arms of the U.S. government have warned for years that networking equipment from vendors in China, namely Huawei Technologies and ZTE, poses a threat to U.S. service providers because of possible links between those companies and the Chinese government.

Specifically, critics have raised alarms that the government could install backdoor surveillance tools in the gear they sell, giving Chinese spies access to communications in the U.S. Those warnings reportedly have held back Huawei and ZTE's sales in the U.S. The companies have said their equipment is safe.

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NSA backdoors my open networks to new threats, report says

Book Reveals Wider Net of U.S. Spying on Envoys

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A demonstrator holds a card depicting fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden during a demonstration in favour of an appearance by Snowden as a witness in German NSA hearings held in the German Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, outside the R

The NSA swiftly went to work, developing the paperwork to obtain legal approval for spying on diplomats from four Security Council members - Bosnia, Gabon, Nigeria and Uganda - whose embassies and missions were not already under surveillance. The following month, 12 members of the 15-seat Security Council voted to approve new sanctions, with Lebanon abstaining and only Brazil and Turkey voting against.

Later that summer, Rice thanked the agency, saying its intelligence had helped her to know when diplomats from the other permanent representatives - China, England, France and Russia - "were telling the truth ... revealed their real position on sanctions ... gave us an upper hand in negotiations ... and provided information on various countries 'red lines.'"

The two documents laying out that episode, both leaked by the former NSA contractor Edward J. Snowden, are reproduced in a new book by Glenn Greenwald, "No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State." The book is being published Tuesday.

Elements of the NSA's role in helping aid U.S. diplomatic negotiations leading up to the Iran sanctions vote had been previously reported, including in an October 2013 article in the French newspaper Le Monde that focused on the agency's spying on French diplomats. Greenwald's book also reproduces a document listing embassies and missions that had been penetrated by the NSA, including those of Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, the European Union, France, Georgia, Greece, India, ...(Continued on next page) Italy, Japan, Mexico, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela and Vietnam. Aspects of that document were reported in June by The Guardian.

Revelations about NSA spying abroad, including on officials of U.S. allies, has fueled anger at the United States. But Caitlin Hayden, an NSA spokeswoman, noted that President Barack Obama sought to address those issues in January when he promised greater limits on spying aimed at allies and partners.

"While our intelligence agencies will continue to gather information about the intentions of governments - as opposed to ordinary citizens - around the world, in the same way that the intelligence services of every other nation do, we will not apologize because our services may be more effective," she said.

Rice's request for help in May 2010 was recounted in an internal report by the security agency's Special Source Operations division, which works with telecommunications companies on the U.S. network.

A legal team was called in on May 22 to begin drawing up the paperwork for the four court orders, one for each of the four countries on the Security Council whose embassies and missions were apparently not yet under surveillance. A judge signed them on May 26.

The internal report showing that the NSA obtains country-specific orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to eavesdrop on their diplomatic facilities may shed light on a murky document published in March by Der Spiegel. It showed that the court had issued an order authorizing spying on Germany on March 7, 2013, and listed several other countries whose orders were about to expire.

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Book Reveals Wider Net of U.S. Spying on Envoys


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