Category Archives: NSA

The NSA and GCHQ probably hacked SIM card maker Gemalto, but didn't nab any encryption keys, the firm said.

SIM card maker Gemalto today said it believes the NSA and GCHQ did indeed breach its systems, but the firm found that the agencies were unable to swipe any encryption keys.

The news comes after a recent report, based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, said that the NSA and its U.K. counterpart hacked Gemalto in order to steal encryption keys and spy on wireless communications.

A multinational chipmaker based in The Netherlands, Gemalto supplies SIM cards used by all four of the top U.S. carriers and 450 wireless network providers around the world. Access by intelligence agencies, therefore, would allow the monitoring of mobile communications without approval, warrant, or wiretap.

Gemalto's subsequent investigation found that the agencies' "intrusions only affected the outer parts of our networksour office networks," Gemalto said. SIM encryption keys and customer data is stored on other networks.

The Dutch tech giant said its networks are frequently under attack, but that very few efforts actually succeed. Two sophisticated attacks in 2010 and 2011, however, caught Gemalto's eye and "could be related" to the reported NSA and GCHQ breaches.

One of those attacks focused on suspicious activity on one of its French sites, while another involved fake emails sent to mobile operator customers. At the same time, Gemalto detected numerous attempts to access the employees' PCs.

Though unable to identify the intruders at the time, the company now believes the NSA and GCHQ were behind the breaches. "An operation by NSA and GCHQ probably happened," it said.

"It is important to understand that our network architecture is designed like a cross between an onion and an orange," the report said. "It has multiple layers and segments which help to cluster and isolate data."

The breach was allegedly detailed in a "secret" 2010 GCHQ document, but was only just made public via the Snowden data dump.

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Gemalto: Spy Agencies 'Probably' Hacked Us, But Encryption Keys Secure

NSA Cyber Security Competition
2015 DoD News highlights an article on the Armed with Science website which talks about a cyber security paper competition held by the National Security A...

By: DoD News

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NSA Cyber Security Competition - Video

DSHS Mock Congressional Hearing NSA/Snowden
DSHS Students conduct a Congressional Hearing into the actions of Edward Snowden and surveillance by the NSA.

By: thomasbourque77

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DSHS Mock Congressional Hearing NSA/Snowden - Video

NSA Data Surveillance Documentary
This is a documentary on the surveillance by the NSA of U.S. citizens and many other people and politicians around the world. Much of the video focuses on Edward Snowden and his actions and...

By: Peter Hudlicka

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NSA Data Surveillance Documentary - Video

By Bill Gertz

Washington Free Beacon

FILE: An aerial view of the NSA's Utah Data Center in Bluffdale, Utah.(AP)

The National Security Agency, still reeling from massive leaks caused by Edward Snowden, is preparing to be hit with another major loss of secrets, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

The leaks are expected to be published in the near future by a news outlet that was not further identified by the officials familiar with details of the compromise, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

The NSA is aware of the news outlets forthcoming disclosures and is taking steps to try and minimize any damage they will cause.

According to the officials, the latest NSA disclosure of secrets is not the result of an insider stealing documents, as occurred in the case of fugitive NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Instead, the leaks will reveal certain NSA technical cyber intelligence gathering capabilities. The officials did not provide details about the leaks.

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NSA braced for new leaks

Summary:The former NSA contractor turned whistleblower said during a Reddit question-and-answer session that the leaks have also improved security and encryption in Silicon Valley.

Edward Snowden answers questions on Reddit (Image: Imgur/Reddit)

Edward Snowden has just one regret.

It's not that he threw Obama's second term in office under the bus by disclosing the vast surveillance by the National Security Agency. Nor did he regret that he condemned himself to the bowels of Russia. (He rightfully pointed out the weather in Moscow has been "warmer than the east coast" this past week, where temperatures have been close to zero.)

It was that he didn't "come forward sooner" with what he knew.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras, and former NSA contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden answered questions from the Reddit community on Monday in an hour-long "ask me anything."

The question-and-answer session comes hours before the Poitras documentary, "Citizenfour," broadcasts on HBO. The film, which documents the first few days the whistleblower goes on the run in Hong Kong and the immediate aftermath of the leaks, won an Oscar on Sunday for best documentary feature.

Here are select highlights from the event, edited for clarity:

Snowden, months after he was granted political asylum in Russia, asked the country's president Vladimir Putin if his government spies on its citizens. What proof do we have that Putin is being honest?

Snowden: "There's not, and that's part of the problem world-wide. We can't just reform the laws in one country, wipe our hands, and call it a day. We have to ensure that our rights aren't just being protected by letters on a sheet of paper somewhere, or those protections will evaporate the minute our communications get routed across a border. The only way to ensure the human rights of citizens around the world are being respected in the digital realm is to enforce them through systems and standards rather than policies and procedures."

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Any regrets, Edward Snowden? "I'd have come forward sooner"

NSA - Adm. Rogers (inc Q A featuring Bruce Schneier Alex Stamos)
Q A Alex Stamos - Yahoo executive challenges NSA over encryption demands http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31604503 Bruce Schneier - On Monday, I asked Ad...

By: GetSeriuous

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NSA - Adm. Rogers (inc Q&A featuring Bruce Schneier & Alex Stamos) - Video

Police: Reports of gunshots fired near NSA
Police are investigating reports that gunshots were fired near the National Security Agency outside Washington. CNN #39;s Barbara Starr reports.

By: CNN

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Police: Reports of gunshots fired near NSA - Video

FBI makes arrest in shootings on ICC, near NSA
The FBI says it arrested someone in connection with two shootings that happened near National Security Headquarters and on the InterCounty Connector. Jennife...

By: WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore

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FBI makes arrest in shootings on ICC, near NSA - Video

NSA Shooter, A Former CO, Is In Custody and Being Linked to 4 Other Shootings
http://www.undergroundworldnews.com The Prince George #39;s County Police Department is investigating a suspect now in custody in connection with a shooting spre...

By: DAHBOO77

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NSA Shooter, A Former CO, Is In Custody and Being Linked to 4 Other Shootings - Video