A 25-year-old government contractor was arrested Tuesday after providing a top secret NSA document to the news website The Intercept, reports NBC News. The document is from May 5. <\/p>\n
The document is an analysis of Russian intelligence efforts to undermine the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It doesnt detail a direct link to any votes being changed, but does outline a concerted and deeper effort than previously known. The analysis describes a technique called spear phishing, where spoof e-mails invite user to click on links or open attachments that contain malicious software. The attacks targeted an election software company and 122 local election officials. <\/p>\n
Read:Edward Snowden Reacts To WikiLeaks' Vault 7 Dump, Calls CIA Documents 'Authentic' <\/p>\n
This is in direct opposition to what Russian President Vladimir has claimed, saying that the Russian state has not been involved in any kind of hacking. <\/p>\n
The leaker, a government contractor named Reality Leigh Winner, was charged with gathering, transmitting or losing defense information in U.S. District Court in Georgia. The federal complaint accuses Winner of unlawfully transmit(ing) the intelligence reporting to an online news outlet. <\/p>\n
Winner worked for Pluribus International Corporation in Georgia. CNN reportedThursdaythat her mother said she had never praised past leakers such as Edward Snowden and wasnt particularly political. She also spent six months in the military. <\/p>\n
Winner had a top secret clearance for documents and faces up to 10 years in prison. <\/p>\n
The Snowden case differs from Winner in several key components. <\/p>\n
While we dont know if Winner took more than the one document, Snowden took thousands, at least seven thousand of which have been published, according to Business Insider. <\/p>\n
Snowden was also careful to leave his job as a contractor at Booz Allen Hamilton in Hawaii and flee to China before releasing the documents, putting him out of reach of authorities. Both are charged with violating the espionage act. <\/p>\n
Read:Why The US Wants To Arrest Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder, A Matter Jeff Sessions Called 'A Priority' <\/p>\n
Both leakers, however, are working with journalist Glenn Greenwald. The Intercept was founded in 2013 by Greenwald. Snowden worked with Greenwald while he was reporting for British newspaper The Guardian. Both leakers took information related to the NSA, but Snowdens had far greater reach and impact. <\/p>\n
President Donald Trump has been very vocal about his disdain for leakers, especially on Twitter. He often parlays news stories by going after leakers as the real story. <\/p>\n
Reality Winner poses in a photo posted to her Instagram account Photo: REUTERS <\/p>\n
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