German magazine Der Spiegel has published the latest cache of previously classified leaks from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and the revelations inside are far-reaching. The trove of documents show that the National Security Agency and its allies are methodically preparing for future wars carried out over the internet. Der Spiegel reports that the intelligence agencies are working towards the ability to infiltrate and disable computer networks — potentially giving them the ability to disrupt critical utilities and other infrastructure. And the NSA and GCHQ think they’re so far ahead of everyone else, they’re laughing about it.
Snowden’s documents show that NSA surveillance programs are at the foundation of efforts to create sophisticated digital weapons. One of the major themes from the new documents involves the ability of Five Eyes intelligence agencies to exploit the methods of its adversaries — efforts to “steal their tools, tradecraft, targets, and take.” The NSA calls this impressive capability “fourth party collection.”
And apparently, fourth party collection is so successful that agents of the NSA and GCHQ have cracked jokes about it in top secret slide decks. In an NSA presentation titled “fourth party opportunities,” the first slide references Daniel Day-Lewis’ infamous “I drink your milkshake” monologue from the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. In one instance, Der Spiegel reports, an NSA unit was able to trace an attack on the Department of Defense back to China and covertly listen in on future Chinese spying efforts, including one digital infiltration of the United Nations.
Furthermore, US intelligence services are spying on the European Union mission in New York and its embassy in Washington. One document lists 38 embassies and missions, describing them as “targets”. It details an extraordinary range of spying methods used against each target, from bugs implanted in electronic communications gear to taps into cables to the collection of transmissions with specialised antennae.
Along with traditional ideological adversaries and sensitive Middle Eastern countries, the list of targets includes the EU missions and the French, Italian and Greek embassies, as well as a number of other American allies, including Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India and Turkey. The list in the September 2010 document does not mention the UK, Germany or other western European states.
The documents suggest the aim of the bugging exercise against the EU embassy in central Washington is to gather inside knowledge of policy disagreements on global issues and other rifts between member states.
Although the latest documents are part of an NSA haul leaked by Snowden, it is not clear in each case whether the surveillance was being exclusively done by the NSA – which is most probable as the embassies and missions are technically overseas – or by the FBI or the CIA, or a combination of them. The 2010 document describes the operation as “close access domestic collection”.
