Based on internal NSA documents, Der Spiegel reveals that the spy agency planted backdoors to access computers, hard drives, routers, and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor and Samsung. December 29, 2013 9:06 AM PST Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland. (Credit: NSA) A new report from Der Spiegel, based on internal National Security Agency documents, reveals more details about how the spy agency gains access to computers and other electronic devices to plant backdoors and other spyware. The Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, is described as a "squad of digital plumbers" who deal with hard targets, systems that are not easy to infiltrate. TAO has been responsible for accessing the protected networks of heads of state worldwide, works with the CIA and FBI to undertake "sensitive missions" and has penetrated the security of undersea fiber-optic cables. TAO also intercepts deliveries of electronic equipment to plant spyware to gain remote access to the systems once they are delivered and installed. Der Spiegel: Inside TAO -Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit Der Spiegel: Shopping for Spy Gear - Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox According to the report, the NSA has planted back doors to access computers, hard drives, routers and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor, Samsung and Huawei. The report describes a 50-page product catalog of tools and techniques that an NSA division called ANT, which stands for Advanced or Access Network Technology, uses to gain access to devices. This follows a report that the security firm RSA intentionally allowed the NSA to create a backdoor into its encryption tokens. Related stories Phone companies say 'no way' to storing phone data for NSA Judge: NSA phone surveillance is legal and a 'vital tool' Snowden's Christmas message: Privacy counts White House tries to prevent ruling on NSA surveillance Security firm RSA took millions from NSA: report "For nearly every lock, ANT seems to have a key in its toolbox. And no matter what walls companies erect, the NSA's specialists seem already to have gotten past them," the report said. The ANT department prefers targeting the BIOS, code on a chip on the motherboard that runs when the machine starts up. The spyware infiltration is largely invisible to other security programs and can persist if a machine is wiped and a new operating system is installed. With the exception of Dell, the companies cited in the report and contacted by Der Spiegel claimed they had no knowledge of any NSA backdoors into their equipment. The end does not appear to be in sight for the revelations from the documents obtained by Edward Snowden, according to Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first collaborated with Snowden to publish the material. In a speech delivered by video to the Chaos Communication Congress (CCC) in Hamburg Friday, he said, "There are a lot more stories to come, a lot more documents that will be covered. It's important that we understand what it is we're publishing, so what we say about them is accurate."

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Based on internal NSA documents, Der Spiegel reveals that the spy agency planted backdoors to access computers, hard drives, routers, and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor and Samsung. December 29, 2013 9:06 AM PST Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland. (Credit: NSA) A new report from Der Spiegel, based on internal National Security Agency documents, reveals more details about how the spy agency gains access to computers and other electronic devices to plant backdoors and other spyware. The Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, is described as a "squad of digital plumbers" who deal with hard targets, systems that are not easy to infiltrate. TAO has been responsible for accessing the protected networks of heads of state worldwide, works with the CIA and FBI to undertake "sensitive missions" and has penetrated the security of undersea fiber-optic cables. TAO also intercepts deliveries of electronic equipment to plant spyware to gain remote access to the systems once they are delivered and installed. Der Spiegel: Inside TAO -Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit Der Spiegel: Shopping for Spy Gear - Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox According to the report, the NSA has planted back doors to access computers, hard drives, routers and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor, Samsung and Huawei. The report describes a 50-page product catalog of tools and techniques that an NSA division called ANT, which stands for Advanced or Access Network Technology, uses to gain access to devices. This follows a report that the security firm RSA intentionally allowed the NSA to create a backdoor into its encryption tokens. Related stories Phone companies say 'no way' to storing phone data for NSA Judge: NSA phone surveillance is legal and a 'vital tool' Snowden's Christmas message: Privacy counts White House tries to prevent ruling on NSA surveillance Security firm RSA took millions from NSA: report "For nearly every lock, ANT seems to have a key in its toolbox. And no matter what walls companies erect, the NSA's specialists seem already to have gotten past them," the report said. The ANT department prefers targeting the BIOS, code on a chip on the motherboard that runs when the machine starts up. The spyware infiltration is largely invisible to other security programs and can persist if a machine is wiped and a new operating system is installed. With the exception of Dell, the companies cited in the report and contacted by Der Spiegel claimed they had no knowledge of any NSA backdoors into their equipment. The end does not appear to be in sight for the revelations from the documents obtained by Edward Snowden, according to Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first collaborated with Snowden to publish the material. In a speech delivered by video to the Chaos Communication Congress (CCC) in Hamburg Friday, he said, "There are a lot more stories to come, a lot more documents that will be covered. It's important that we understand what it is we're publishing, so what we say about them is accurate."

Based on internal NSA documents, Der Spiegel reveals that the spy agency planted backdoors to access computers, hard drives, routers, and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor and Samsung. December 29, 2013 9:06 AM PST Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland. (Credit: NSA) A new report from Der Spiegel, based on internal National Security Agency documents, reveals more details about how the spy agency gains access to computers and other electronic devices to plant backdoors and other spyware. The Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, is described as a "squad of digital plumbers" who deal with hard targets, systems that are not easy to infiltrate. TAO has been responsible for accessing the protected networks of heads of state worldwide, works with the CIA and FBI to undertake "sensitive missions" and has penetrated the security of undersea fiber-optic cables. TAO also intercepts deliveries of electronic equipment to plant spyware to gain remote access to the systems once they are delivered and installed. Der Spiegel: Inside TAO -Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit Der Spiegel: Shopping for Spy Gear - Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox According to the report, the NSA has planted back doors to access computers, hard drives, routers and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor, Samsung and Huawei. The report describes a 50-page product catalog of tools and techniques that an NSA division called ANT, which stands for Advanced or Access Network Technology, uses to gain access to devices. This follows a report that the security firm RSA intentionally allowed the NSA to create a backdoor into its encryption tokens. Related stories Phone companies say 'no way' to storing phone data for NSA Judge: NSA phone surveillance is legal and a 'vital tool' Snowden's Christmas message: Privacy counts White House tries to prevent ruling on NSA surveillance Security firm RSA took millions from NSA: report "For nearly every lock, ANT seems to have a key in its toolbox. And no matter what walls companies erect, the NSA's specialists seem already to have gotten past them," the report said. The ANT department prefers targeting the BIOS, code on a chip on the motherboard that runs when the machine starts up. The spyware infiltration is largely invisible to other security programs and can persist if a machine is wiped and a new operating system is installed. With the exception of Dell, the companies cited in the report and contacted by Der Spiegel claimed they had no knowledge of any NSA backdoors into their equipment. The end does not appear to be in sight for the revelations from the documents obtained by Edward Snowden, according to Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first collaborated with Snowden to publish the material. In a speech delivered by video to the Chaos Communication Congress (CCC) in Hamburg Friday, he said, "There are a lot more stories to come, a lot more documents that will be covered. It's important that we understand what it is we're publishing, so what we say about them is accurate."

Posted by : Unknown Sunday, December 29, 2013

Based on internal NSA documents, Der Spiegel reveals that the spy agency planted backdoors to access computers, hard drives, routers, and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor and Samsung.

December 29, 2013 9:06 AM PST

Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland.

(Credit: NSA)

A new report from Der Spiegel, based on internal National Security Agency documents, reveals more details about how the spy agency gains access to computers and other electronic devices to plant backdoors and other spyware.

The Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, is described as a "squad of digital plumbers" who deal with hard targets, systems that are not easy to infiltrate. TAO has been responsible for accessing the protected networks of heads of state worldwide, works with the CIA and FBI to undertake "sensitive missions" and has penetrated the security of undersea fiber-optic cables. TAO also intercepts deliveries of electronic equipment to plant spyware to gain remote access to the systems once they are delivered and installed.

Der Spiegel: Inside TAO -Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit

Der Spiegel: Shopping for Spy Gear - Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox

According to the report, the NSA has planted back doors to access computers, hard drives, routers and other devices from companies such as Cisco, Dell, Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor, Samsung and Huawei. The report describes a 50-page product catalog of tools and techniques that an NSA division called ANT, which stands for Advanced or Access Network Technology, uses to gain access to devices.

This follows a report that the security firm RSA intentionally allowed the NSA to create a backdoor into its encryption tokens.