BBC News, 6
September 2013
US spy leaks
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| A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 2013 illustration file picture |
US spy leaks
US and UK
intelligence have reportedly cracked technology used to encrypt internet
services such as online banking, medical records and email.
Disclosures
by leaker Edward Snowden allege the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the
UK's GCHQ are hacking key online security protocols.
The
encryption techniques targeted are used by popular internet services such as
Google, Facebook and Yahoo.
The NSA is
said to spend $250m (£160m) a year on the top secret program.
It is
codenamed Bullrun, an American civil war battle, according to the documents
published by the Guardian in conjunction with the New York Times and
ProPublica.
The British
counterpart program is called Edgehill, after the first major engagement of the
English civil war, say the documents.
'Behind-the-scenes
persuasion'
The reports
say the UK and US intelligence agencies are focusing on the encryption used in
4G smartphones, email, online shopping and remote business communication
networks.
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| US leaker Edward Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia |
The NSA
also collaborated with unnamed technology companies to build so-called back
doors into their software - something that would give the government access to
information before it is encrypted and sent over the internet, it is reported.
As well as
supercomputers, methods used include "technical trickery, court orders and
behind-the-scenes persuasion to undermine the major tools protecting the
privacy of everyday communications", the New York Times reports.
The US
reportedly began investing billions of dollars in the program in 2000 after its
initial efforts to install a "back door" in all encryption systems
were thwarted.
'Gobsmacked'
During the
next decade, it is said the NSA employed code-breaking computers and began
collaborating with technology companies at home and abroad to build entry
points into their products.
The
documents provided to the Guardian by Mr Snowden do not specify which companies
participated.
The NSA
also hacked into computers to capture messages prior to encryption, and used
broad influence to introduce weaknesses into encryption standards followed by
software developers the world over, the New York Times reports.
When
British analysts were first told of the extent of the program they were
"gobsmacked", according to one memo among more than 50,000 documents
shared by the Guardian.
NSA
officials continue to defend the agency's actions, claiming it will put the US
at considerable risk if messages from terrorists and spies cannot be
deciphered.
But some
experts argue that such efforts could actually undermine national security,
noting that any back doors inserted into encryption programs can be exploited
by those outside the government.
It is the
latest in a series of intelligence leaks by Mr Snowden, a former NSA
contractor, who began providing caches of sensitive government documents to
media outlets in June.
Mr Snowden,
whom the US wants to extradite, has been granted temporary asylum in Russia.
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