NSA Unit Intercepts Computer Shipments for Secret Access Modifications
by alethoBy Noel Brinkerhoff | AllGov | January 1, 2014
Sophisticated as it is with myriad forms of electronic spying at its disposal, the National Security Agency (NSA) sometimes resorts to old-fashioned, hands-on methods of breaking into someone’s computer system.
In
rare instances when the agency can’t hack its way into a network, the
NSA employs a special group of “plumbers” to gain access.
These
specialists intercept computer shipments ordered by a targeted person
and reroute the boxes to secret workshops. There, the packages are
opened, and either software or hardware are implanted into the equipment
to allow the NSA full access to the system once it’s operational by the
target. The packages are then carefully resealed and sent on their way
to the unsuspecting customers.
This
type of old-school procedure, referred to by NSA as “interdiction,” is
considered by the agency to be one of its “most productive operations,” a
method that gives the NSA access to computer networks “around the
world.”
These
interceptions are just one of the many sneaky tasks performed by the
NSA’s Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO), which is also skilled
at electronic snooping.
According to NSA documents obtained by the German newspaper Der Spiegel, TAO handles jobs involving counterterrorism, cyber attacks and traditional espionage.
Matthew Aid, a historian who specializes in NSA history, told Spiegel
that TAO is “akin to the wunderkind of the US intelligence community,”
adding that within the NSA, the unit is known for “getting the
ungettable.”
TAO’s
work has extended around the globe, reaching more than 250 targets in
nearly 90 countries. It has been projected that about 85,000 computers
worldwide were infiltrated by NSA specialists as of the end of 2013.
Most of the "implants" were accomplished via the Internet by TAO teams.
“Indeed, TAO specialists have directly accessed the protected networks of democratically elected leaders of countries,” Spiegel
wrote. “They infiltrated networks of European telecommunications
companies and gained access to and read mails sent over Blackberry's BES
email servers, which until then were believed to be securely
encrypted.”
The unit’s successes have given the NSA reason to expand its size and locations since first establishing TAO in 1997.
TAO
offices now operate out of Wahiawa, Hawaii; Fort Gordon, Georgia;
Buckley Air Force Base near Denver, Colorado; Lackland Air Force Base in
San Antonio, Texas; and Fort Meade, Maryland (NSA headquarters).
The San Antonio unit alone is expected to grow from 60 to 270 specialists by 2015.
To Learn More:
Inside TAO: Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit (Der Spiegel)
Shopping for Spy Gear: Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox (by Jacob Appelbaum, Judith Horchert and Christian Stöcker, Der Spiegel)
Computer Security Firm Accepted $10 Million Payoff to Give NSA Backdoor Access (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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