Exposing the NSA’s Mass Surveillance of Americans | CYBERWAR

VICE News
23 Apr 202422:21

Summary

TLDRThe leaked documents expose the National Security Agency's (NSA) mass surveillance program, revealing their elite hacking unit, Tailored Access Operations (TAO), which is tasked with infiltrating digital communications to counter threats such as terrorism and cyber attacks. Established post-9/11, the NSA's mandate expanded to include American communications, leading to the 'collect it all' mantra. Whistleblowers like Thomas Drake and Edward Snowden have shed light on these activities, raising concerns about privacy and the potential undermining of internet security. TAO's sophisticated hacking skills are utilized to target elusive individuals, but the scope of their surveillance extends beyond terrorism to include foreign entities and corporations, blurring the line between mass and targeted surveillance and sparking a debate on the balance between national security and individual privacy.

Takeaways

  • 📡 The NSA's mass surveillance program, revealed through leaked documents, includes a unit called Tailored Access Operations (TAO) that specializes in hacking into difficult targets.
  • 🛡 Post-9/11, the NSA's mandate expanded to include the collection of American communications to and from foreign targets, leading to a massive increase in data collection.
  • 🚨 Thomas Drake, an NSA senior executive, blew the whistle on the agency's activities and faced charges under the Espionage Act, highlighting the internal conflict over surveillance practices.
  • 🔍 Edward Snowden leaked thousands of classified NSA documents, revealing the extent of the agency's surveillance capabilities, including the PRISM program which provided direct access to user data from major tech companies.
  • 🔑 TAO, likened to the 'special forces' of the NSA, uses sophisticated tools to infiltrate, manipulate, and sabotage digital devices, often requiring physical access for implanting spy devices.
  • 💡 The NSA recruits highly skilled hackers, often from top computer science programs, offering a unique opportunity to engage in legal hacking for national security purposes.
  • 🔒 TAO's operations have been integral to the war on terror, aiding in the tracking and capture of high-value targets like Osama Bin Laden, but also raised concerns about the potential for abuse.
  • 🌐 The NSA's activities, including those of TAO, can jeopardize internet security at large, as seen when they exploited a software bug in Mozilla Firefox to identify users of anonymizing software.
  • 💸 The NSA's offensive hacking operations, such as those conducted by TAO, are costly, with the agency spending over $600 million annually on such initiatives.
  • ⚖️ The debate over the value of mass versus targeted surveillance continues, with concerns that the NSA's actions may undermine the security of the same internet that everyone uses.
  • 🏛 The legitimacy of TAO's targets is questioned, as除了 targeting terrorists, they have also been known to hack into the communications of friendly nations and other non-terrorist entities, blurring the lines between mass and targeted surveillance.

Q & A

  • What is the primary mandate of the National Security Agency (NSA)?

    -The primary mandate of the NSA is to collect foreign intelligence. It was formed in 1952 and operates under the authority of the U.S. government to protect national security.

  • How did the NSA's surveillance capabilities expand post-9/11?

    -After 9/11, George W. Bush authorized the NSA to expand its surveillance capabilities to include American communications to and from foreign targets, in an effort to better prevent terrorist attacks and cyber threats.

  • What is the role of the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) unit?

    -The TAO unit is responsible for hacking into difficult targets, such as the mobile phones of Al Qaeda operatives, to gather intelligence that is considered 'ungettable.' They are likened to the special forces of the NSA.

  • Why did Thomas Drake blow the whistle on the NSA's activities?

    -Thomas Drake, a decorated NSA veteran, blew the whistle on the NSA's activities due to his shock and disagreement with the agency's mass surveillance program, which he believed was a violation of the Constitution and the law.

  • What was the impact of Edward Snowden's leaks on the public's understanding of the NSA's surveillance programs?

    -Edward Snowden's leaks revealed tens of thousands of classified NSA documents, including information about the Prism program and the TAO unit. This led to a greater public awareness and debate about the extent and legality of the NSA's surveillance activities.

  • How does the NSA's mass surveillance differ from the targeted surveillance conducted by TAO?

    -Mass surveillance involves the large-scale collection of data from a broad population, whereas targeted surveillance focuses on specific individuals or groups. TAO's operations are more akin to targeted surveillance, as they aim to infiltrate and gather intelligence from specific, high-value targets.

  • What are some of the tools and methods used by TAO to infiltrate digital devices?

    -TAO uses a variety of tools and methods, including spy devices installed in mobile phones or hardware implants, to infiltrate digital devices. They also exploit software vulnerabilities to gain access to systems and monitor or hijack internet traffic.

  • What is the 'ANT Catalog' and how is it related to TAO's activities?

    -The ANT Catalog is a leaked document that lists various spy gear at TAO's disposal. It includes tools for surveillance and infiltration, such as implants for hardware and devices to intercept and manipulate digital communications.

  • How does TAO's hacking activity potentially compromise internet security?

    -TAO's hacking activities can compromise internet security by exploiting software bugs and vulnerabilities, which can leave millions of users exposed to these security risks. This can undermine the overall security of the internet infrastructure.

  • What is the controversy surrounding the balance between the NSA's offensive hacking and the protection of internet security?

    -The controversy lies in the fact that while the NSA invests heavily in offensive hacking through TAO, there is concern that this undermines the security of the internet. Critics argue that the balance between breaking things for intelligence purposes and protecting the security of the internet is uneven.

  • How do privacy activists view the distinction between mass surveillance and targeted surveillance conducted by the NSA?

    -Privacy activists generally oppose mass surveillance but may support more targeted approaches. They argue that targeted surveillance is more acceptable because it focuses on specific, legitimate threats rather than indiscriminately collecting data on a large population.

Outlines

00:00

😀 NSA's Tailored Access Operations and Mass Surveillance

This paragraph discusses the National Security Agency's (NSA) mass surveillance program, which is designed to penetrate digital communications to prevent terrorist attacks and cyber threats. It introduces the NSA's elite unit, Tailored Access Operations (TAO), whose mission is to hack into systems that are otherwise impenetrable. The paragraph also covers the agency's expansion of surveillance post-9/11 under President George W. Bush, the revelation of the program by whistleblower Thomas Drake, and the subsequent leaks by Edward Snowden. It highlights the NSA's capabilities, its focus on foreign intelligence, and the ethical and legal concerns surrounding mass surveillance and the potential erosion of privacy and constitutional rights.

05:01

👥 Inside the NSA's Cyber Operations and Recruitment

The second paragraph delves into the operations of TAO, comparing it to special forces within the NSA. It discusses the recruitment of highly skilled hackers by the NSA, often from advanced computer science programs, and the challenges of competing with private tech companies for talent. The paragraph also explores the NSA's use of TAO in the War on Terror, including its role in tracking down Osama Bin Laden and other high-value targets. It touches on the tools used by TAO, such as spy devices and software vulnerabilities, and the potential risks to internet security posed by the agency's activities.

10:04

💻 TAO's Spy Tools and the Impact on Internet Security

This section focuses on the specific tools and techniques used by TAO, including implants in hardware and spy gear listed in the ANT catalog. It describes the efforts of security researchers to recreate these tools and the implications for privacy and security. The paragraph also addresses the broader impact of TAO's activities on the internet's infrastructure, suggesting that the NSA's tactics could compromise the security of the entire global network. It raises questions about the cost-effectiveness and ethics of TAO's methods, particularly when it comes to the potential for mass surveillance.

15:05

🛡️ The Debate Over Targeted vs. Mass Surveillance

The fourth paragraph presents contrasting views on the effectiveness and necessity of TAO's targeted surveillance. It includes perspectives from a former Air Force cyber officer who argues that targeted surveillance is more acceptable and efficient, and an investigative reporter who suggests that TAO's methods are not as targeted as they seem. The paragraph discusses the potential for overreach in TAO's operations, including the surveillance of foreign governments and private companies, and the difficulty in defining what constitutes a legitimate target. It also highlights the ongoing debate about the balance between security and privacy.

20:07

🔏 The Expanding Role of TAO in NSA Operations

The final paragraph addresses the expanding role of TAO within the NSA's broader surveillance efforts. It suggests that TAO may be more than just a tool for fighting terrorism and could be part of a larger mass surveillance apparatus. The paragraph discusses the potential for TAO's activities to go beyond the scope of what is publicly acknowledged and the implications of conducting surveillance in secret. It also touches on the historical context of surveillance and the importance of transparency and accountability in maintaining public trust.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Mass Surveillance

Mass surveillance refers to the large-scale monitoring of the activities of a population, typically by government agencies. In the context of the video, it is a controversial practice conducted by the NSA, which is revealed to involve the collection of data from millions of individuals, not just targeted individuals, raising concerns about privacy and civil liberties.

💡Tailored Access Operations (TAO)

Tailored Access Operations is a secretive unit within the NSA that specializes in sophisticated hacking operations. The video discusses how TAO's mission is to 'get the ungettable,' implying that they target particularly challenging or high-value subjects. TAO is portrayed as the 'special forces' of the NSA, capable of infiltrating nearly any digital system.

💡Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden is a former NSA contractor who leaked thousands of classified documents to the public, revealing the extent of the NSA's surveillance programs. His actions sparked a global debate about privacy, government surveillance, and the balance between national security and individual freedoms. Snowden is a central figure in the video, as his leaks provide much of the information discussed.

💡PRISM

PRISM is a surveillance program under which the NSA reportedly had direct access to the systems of major tech companies, allowing it to collect data including emails, video chats, and more. The program is mentioned in the video as an example of the extent of the NSA's digital surveillance capabilities.

💡Thomas Drake

Thomas Drake is a former senior executive at the NSA who became a whistleblower after being shocked by the agency's activities. Drake is highlighted in the video as an example of someone who attempted to expose the NSA's mass surveillance and faced severe legal consequences for his actions.

💡Encryption

Encryption is the process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access. It is a key theme in the video as the increasing use of encryption by networks and technologies is driving the NSA towards more aggressive hacking tactics, as traditional methods of passive surveillance become less effective.

💡National Security Agency (NSA)

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a U.S. government agency responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence. In the video, the NSA is depicted as having a broad mandate that has expanded post-9/11 to include significant surveillance of American communications.

💡Data Collection

Data collection is the process of gathering and storing information, often in large volumes. The video discusses the NSA's approach to data collection with the mantra 'collect it all,' which signifies an approach that has raised significant privacy concerns and is central to the debate over the agency's surveillance practices.

💡Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity involves the protection of internet-connected systems, including hardware, software, and data, from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. The video touches on the NSA's role in cybersecurity, contrasting its offensive hacking operations with the need to protect against cyber threats.

💡Hacking

Hacking refers to the unauthorized access into computer systems to disrupt, copy, or inspect data. In the context of the video, hacking is a primary tool used by TAO to infiltrate and gather intelligence from targeted systems, raising ethical questions about the use of such tactics by government agencies.

💡Privacy Activist

A privacy activist is someone who advocates for the right of privacy, especially in matters related to digital surveillance and data collection. The video discusses the role of privacy activists like Chris Soghoian in highlighting the concerns over the NSA's surveillance activities and pushing for greater transparency and protection of individual privacy rights.

Highlights

Leaked documents reveal the extent of the NSA's mass surveillance program, which includes unauthorized access to digital communications.

Tailored Access Operations (TAO), an NSA unit, is tasked with hacking into difficult targets, described as 'getting the ungettable'.

The NSA's post-9/11 mandate expansion led to the collection of American communications, raising constitutional concerns.

Thomas Drake, an NSA senior executive and decorated veteran, blew the whistle on the agency's activities and faced charges under the Espionage Act.

The NSA's culture shift post-9/11 involved an 'unleashed' approach to data collection, disregarding legal and constitutional boundaries.

Edward Snowden leaked tens of thousands of classified NSA documents, revealing secret programs like PRISM which gave the NSA direct access to user data from major tech companies.

TAO, or Tailored Access Operations, is likened to the 'special forces' of the NSA, with highly skilled operatives capable of infiltrating any digital device.

John Harbaugh, a former NSA executive, discusses the elite cyber operations he directed, emphasizing the team's ability to tackle challenging cyber problems.

TAO's recruitment strategy focuses on hiring highly skilled hackers, often from advanced computer science programs, despite lower pay scales compared to private tech companies.

TAO has been instrumental in high-profile operations such as the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the capture of insurgents in Afghanistan.

The Snowden leaks exposed TAO's use of 'IMPL' spy devices and the ANT catalog, detailing various spy gear at the unit's disposal.

TAO's activities have raised concerns about compromised internet security, with vulnerabilities in software like Mozilla Firefox being exploited.

Investigative reporter Ryan Gallagher emphasizes the importance of TAO in the war on terror, highlighting their role in tracking and capturing elusive targets.

Claudio Guitierrez, a hacker, and privacy activist, discusses the financial cost of the NSA's black budget and the potential trade-offs between security and surveillance.

Robert M. Lee, a former Air Force cyber officer, argues that targeted surveillance by TAO is more acceptable than mass surveillance, given its focus on specific threats.

Despite TAO's focus on terrorism, there are concerns about the unit's broader surveillance activities, including targeting friendly nations and private entities.

The debate over the legitimacy of TAO's targets and the potential erosion of privacy and security in the name of national security is ongoing.

Privacy activists and whistleblowers continue to fight for transparency and the end of mass surveillance practices, citing potential abuses of power.

Transcripts

00:00

leaked documents reveal the scope of the

00:02

nsa's mass surveillance program we

00:05

cannot prevent terrorist attacks or

00:08

cyber threats without some capability to

00:11

penetrate digital Communications others

00:13

Unmasked A unit called tailored access

00:16

operations I don't need Mass

00:17

surveillance I need you to break into

00:19

that guy's computer their mission is to

00:21

get the ungettable if you want to hack

00:23

into systems lawfully the only game in

00:26

town is the government their targets are

00:28

secret they are very important actually

00:31

tracking down people who are then

00:33

subsequently killed and there's almost

00:35

nothing they can't

00:55

hack the National Security Agency is one

00:58

of the world's largest intelligence

01:00

agencies headquartered in Fort me

01:02

Maryland the nsa's Mandate is to collect

01:04

foreign intelligence after 911 George W

01:08

bush authorized the NSA to collect even

01:10

more including American Communications

01:12

to and from foreign

01:16

targets good morning this is a highly

01:19

classified

01:21

program that is crucial to our national

01:24

security this program shocked an NSA

01:27

senior executive named Thomas Drake

01:30

Drake is a decorated veteran who blew

01:32

the whistle on nsa's activities to the

01:35

Press he barely escaped 35 years in jail

01:37

after being charged under the Espionage

01:39

Act a law first written in

01:41

1917 Mr Drake hi Ben

01:45

yeah the National Security Agency is

01:48

focused on foreign intelligence it was

01:50

formed in 1952 people don't realize it

01:52

was not formed by an act of Congress it

01:54

was literally sign signed uh into

01:57

existence by The Stroke of a secret

01:59

presidential pen in fact the joke was it

02:01

was no such agency or never say anything

02:04

you never even referenced the actual

02:07

name people who used to work there oh I

02:09

work at DOD now I accelerate forward

02:12

internet explodes you have this rapid

02:14

transition from analog to digital and

02:16

the explosion of

02:18

data became

02:21

exponential what do you think is the

02:23

easiest way to deal with it just suck it

02:26

all so but what happened after 9/11 was

02:29

it NSA should do

02:32

better here's where you have culture and

02:35

secret meeting itself realizing it fail

02:37

but can't admit it failed it had not

02:39

prevented the next Pearl Harbor and now

02:43

NSA is literally Unleashed it's

02:45

Unleashed on an extraordinary scale a

02:47

scale we have never seen in US history

02:50

or the world all means necessary to

02:53

confront the threat who cares about the

02:56

Constitution who cares about law who

02:59

cares about the rights of us persons hey

03:01

if you've done nothing wrong I even

03:02

heard this then you should it shouldn't

03:05

matter and the Mantra was just get the

03:09

data collect it all so we can know it

03:11

all collect it all so we can know it

03:15

all Drake inspired another NSA worker to

03:18

sound the alarm this afternoon the

03:20

guardian newspapers revealed the name of

03:23

their Source in 2013 Edward Snowden

03:26

leaked tens of thousands of classified

03:27

NSA

03:28

documents the first to get published was

03:30

a secret court order forcing Verizon to

03:33

Fork over the call data of millions of

03:34

us customers the next big leak was a

03:37

PowerPoint presentation about a program

03:39

called prism the NSA boasted that prism

03:43

gave them direct access to emails video

03:45

chats and more from some of America's

03:48

biggest tech

03:49

companies the media was obsessed with

03:51

Snowden and the leaks but few people

03:53

noticed information hidden in the

03:54

documents about a top secret NSA unit

03:57

called Tao or Taylor ESS operations

04:01

until the German magazine Dar Spiegel

04:03

revealed more about it than ever before

04:06

jur Schindler is the Magazine's

04:07

award-winning National Security reporter

04:10

yeah you can call them the highly

04:11

skilled plumbers of the NSA who are able

04:14

to to get into every sort of pipe what

04:17

they are doing is getting the ungettable

04:20

they're like the special forces of the

04:21

NSA essentially yeah Special Hecker

04:23

Force I mean the whole NSA is a special

04:25

force uh but but those are the the

04:27

highly skilled handymen who who create

04:30

certain kind of tools um to to

04:34

infiltrate manipulate and sabotage every

04:37

kind of digital device you might think

04:39

of what's the relationship between

04:40

tailored access operations by the NSA

04:43

and their Mass surveillance I mean to

04:45

explain it easily I would say that mass

04:48

surveillance is like going into the to

04:50

the ocean with a huge fishing net and to

04:53

to draw everything out with whatever you

04:56

you find and uh what what the tailored

04:58

access operation units are doing is like

05:00

using the Harpoon to find special

05:03

targets and the the fishes they really

05:05

need so that that might be the the

05:07

difference so it's like U going hand in

05:10

hand and ta is pretty good at it they're

05:12

extremely good at it

05:15

yes the Snowden leaks revealed more

05:17

about tailor access operations but a lot

05:19

is still

05:22

unknown I wanted to talk to someone who

05:24

knows the NSA from the inside an Air

05:26

Force veteran and former NSA exact named

05:29

John

05:31

Harbaugh John Harbaugh ni to meet you

05:33

John please come in let's see this place

05:36

route 9B yeah why why that name by the

05:40

way so root is system level access 9B is

05:44

heximal for 911 ah so it's a it's a nod

05:48

to the fact that the

05:50

next uh 911 event is most likely going

05:54

to be cyber related route 9B which has

05:56

defense contracts aims to hunt and

05:58

pursue adversaries in side a client's

06:00

Network this is where we do all of our

06:02

hunt operations what we call it for our

06:04

clients so so what this is showing you

06:07

is is what the operator sees while

06:09

they're doing their op right so there'll

06:11

be Windows of time where they're

06:13

actually active inside the client's

06:14

Network pursuing the adversary and this

06:16

was really driven by our experiences in

06:18

the government space does it look like

06:20

this in Fort me this is

06:22

better your bio it says something like

06:24

you were the director of a super Elite

06:28

cyber operation Yeah so basically what

06:31

what that's about is what we've tried to

06:33

recreate here so my time inside the

06:36

organization I had the pleasure and the

06:39

and the fortune to be asked to run a

06:41

team of about eight individuals and that

06:43

team was focused on the most challenging

06:47

problems in cyber was that tailored

06:49

access operations so so you know there

06:53

is there there is elements of that space

06:55

right because if you're in cyber and you

06:56

do all of cyber then you're doing all of

06:59

those types of things mhm and so the

07:01

bosses could come in and say we have a

07:03

significant National event I need you

07:05

guys to be able to do this in the next

07:06

12 hours I could walk into that space

07:08

and say hey guys I need five minutes I

07:10

would give them what we would call the

07:12

op order this is what we need to achieve

07:14

we need we need to achieve it the next

07:15

12 24 48 hours and I could walk away and

07:19

I KN I knew when I came back no matter

07:21

what time of day how long they were

07:22

working on it they would get done and it

07:24

was it was that kind of again it was

07:25

that kind of teamwork teamwork that

07:27

really Drew people and it's a very

07:28

similar thing to the special ops

07:29

Community right and it does sound like a

07:31

a military chain of command yeah I mean

07:33

NSA is a very military

07:36

organization to build a team like Tao

07:39

the NSA has to hire highly skilled

07:41

hackers so how does it head hunt them to

07:44

find out I asked Chris seoan he's a

07:46

privacy activist with the American civil

07:48

liberties

07:52

Union who are they and where where's the

07:55

NSA recruiting them from the government

07:56

wants people who can get a security

07:58

clients more so than ever particularly

08:00

you know after Snowden and after uh uh

08:03

Chelsea Manning they want people who who

08:06

they know or are going to play by the

08:08

rules they want people who cannot easily

08:10

be blackmailed so I think you know NSA

08:13

tries to recruit the best and brightest

08:15

from computer science programs around

08:16

the country and in particular computer

08:18

security programs like Carnegie melan

08:20

that have probably the most

08:22

sophisticated offensive cyber security

08:24

programs in Academia in the United

08:26

States and their students are are

08:28

heavily recruited both by NSA but also

08:30

you know by Silicon Valley they're

08:31

competing for the same people so they're

08:33

competing for the same people and the

08:34

problem that NSA has is they can't pay

08:36

the same kind of money right they're not

08:38

going to be able to offer the smoothies

08:40

and massages and and sort of perks of

08:42

life that Google and Facebook can but

08:44

they have something that those companies

08:45

don't what they have is a monopoly on

08:47

violence right in the same way that if

08:49

you want to like repel out of

08:50

helicopters and shoot people in the head

08:52

you want to you go join the Special

08:54

Forces if you want to hack into systems

08:57

lawfully the only game in town is the

08:59

the government and in in many other

09:01

walks of life you would be you would be

09:04

a criminal you would be a stalker you'd

09:06

be a bad person but when you go to NSA

09:08

suddenly you get to wrap yourself on the

09:10

flag and do it for king and

09:15

country if Tao can legally do things no

09:17

one else can who are they hacking and

09:24

why not much is known about who tailored

09:26

access operations hacks but the Snowden

09:28

leaks reveal one major Target Osama Bin

09:32

Laden Tao hacked into the mobile phones

09:35

of Al qada operatives in the hunt for

09:36

bin Laden as reported by The Washington

09:39

Post the unit's work also led to the

09:41

capture of 40 insurgents in

09:44

Afghanistan Ryan Gallagher is an

09:46

investigative reporter at The Intercept

09:48

where he has covered the role of

09:49

surveillance in the ongoing war on

09:51

terror how did Tao and how does Tao fit

09:55

into the war on

09:57

terror well they are very important I

10:00

mean people don't necessarily think of

10:03

surveillance even as a as a thing being

10:06

integral to what the military is doing

10:08

on the ground but it is it's absolutely

10:11

vital what the tailored axis guys are

10:14

doing for instance is because they're so

10:15

skilled at actually you know breaking

10:18

into systems and going after like what

10:20

they would refer to as hard targets

10:22

people who are elusive or you know

10:24

skilled like dodging surveillance they

10:26

are very important actually tracking

10:28

down people who are then subsequently

10:31

killed or captured in past years

10:34

probably rendered and through the um the

10:37

black sits program that was going on

10:39

through the Bush Administration so they

10:42

are very um entwined with these physical

10:44

kind of kinetic they call it operations

10:46

on the ground so are they basically the

10:48

Commandos of the NSA you could put it

10:51

like that yeah I mean they're kind of

10:52

it's may be sort of glorifying them a

10:54

little bit but I mean essentially these

10:56

guys are just sort of like geeky nerds

10:59

do can to do that sort of Commando type

11:01

role they're

11:03

facilitating um military operations on

11:05

the ground by hacking into targets

11:07

they're actually directly you know able

11:10

to track people who are then like killed

11:12

and say a drone strike so what they do

11:14

yeah it's it is like kind of Commando

11:16

work but they are also um you know

11:18

providing assistance on the ground to

11:20

real Commando types who are out there

11:22

try to kill

11:24

people in the hunt for bin Laden Tao

11:27

reportedly used what the unit calls impl

11:30

spy devices installed in Mobile phones

11:32

or other

11:34

Hardware implants are just some of the

11:36

tools that appear in elak document

11:38

called the ant catalog which lists other

11:40

spy gear at Tao's

11:42

disposal security researchers Michael

11:44

Osman Joe Fitzpatrick and Dean Pierce

11:47

decided to build some of these spy tools

11:49

themselves the media kind of saw it and

11:52

reported on bits and pieces of it and

11:53

said oh look at this thing this is Magic

11:55

and I think all of us looked at it and

11:57

said oh yeah I know how I would do that

11:58

yeah I know how to do that Joe recreated

12:01

a graphics card that can see what's

12:02

running on a computer's active

12:04

memory and Dean rigged a phone so it

12:06

picks up the mobile traffic in the area

12:09

Mike reproduced ragem a tiny chip

12:12

implanted in a computer video cable to

12:14

reflect information via radar when this

12:17

is installed I can point one antenna at

12:20

it and that's transmitting a signal and

12:22

then my other anten is also pointed at

12:24

it and it's receiving the Reflection by

12:28

measuring that reflection ction I can on

12:30

my laptop recover information that's

12:33

going over the cable and what I get is a

12:37

video image a screen image uh from the

12:40

target computer system and it this is an

12:43

example of something where an implant is

12:46

required getting an implant into a piece

12:48

of Hardware like a video cable requires

12:51

physical

12:52

access but planting bugs into terrorist

12:55

cell phones isn't the only thing Tao

12:57

does some of their activity is

12:59

jeopardized Internet Security at

13:03

large one Snowden leak shows how Tao

13:05

found a vulnerability a software bug and

13:08

Mozilla

13:10

Firefox Tao used the bug to try to

13:12

identify some users also running an

13:14

anonymizing software called

13:17

tour not only did Tao need to be able to

13:19

Monitor and hijack internet traffic to

13:21

pull off its attack but hundreds of

13:23

millions of Firefox users were left

13:25

vulnerable to the software bug which has

13:28

since been patched

13:30

[Music]

13:34

Claudia hacker Claudia GUI has helped

13:37

expose Tao's

13:39

activities that's try I met him in an

13:41

old stazzy surveillance tower that still

13:43

stands in what used to be Soviet

13:44

controlled East Berlin a lot of the mass

13:47

surveillance and B collection capability

13:49

of the NSA is um empowered by some of

13:52

the break-ins that to is able to do for

13:55

example they would ask um too to break

13:58

into some core uh parts of the of the

14:01

internet infrastructure of the whole

14:03

Global backbone you know from from an

14:05

internet structure perspective when you

14:07

connect from Germany to Google you move

14:10

through a number of hops 10 15 noes that

14:12

relay your message from Berlin to you

14:15

know Hamburg and Frankfurt and then to

14:17

who knows Netherlands wherever the

14:19

cables are if the NSA is able to break

14:21

into any one of these points then

14:23

they're able to see you U communicating

14:26

with Google when they're able to observe

14:28

that they're also able to ey jacket so

14:31

pretend like you're getting a response

14:33

from Google while instead you're getting

14:34

a response from the NSA none of this

14:36

comes cheap claudo and I went inside to

14:39

look through a Snowden leak known as the

14:40

black budget the NSA spends more than

14:43

$600 million a year for just the kind of

14:46

offensive hacks Tao conducts yeah this

14:48

is what it's being called the black

14:50

budget and the trend that we see is that

14:52

you know again the balance between how

14:54

much it's invested in breaking things

14:56

and how much it's invested in protecting

14:57

things is uneven um you know part of the

15:00

Mandate of intelligent Services is to

15:02

keep the country secure at the same time

15:04

from a technological perspective they're

15:06

undermining the security of the country

15:08

and like you said we all use the exact

15:10

same internet once it's broken for one

15:12

it's broken for all mhm so the question

15:14

is is it worth it to break something and

15:17

keep it broken for catching one or two

15:20

terrorists that you probably could catch

15:22

otherwise breaking into the internet or

15:24

hacking into phones might make us all

15:26

less secure so is teo's hacking really

15:28

all that

15:31

targeted to find out more about who Tao

15:33

targets I met up with Robert M Lee he'

15:36

been out of the military for only a week

15:39

he was an Air Force cyber officer and

15:40

also worked for an intelligence agency

15:43

he won't confirm or deny that's the

15:48

NSA okay how did you get into being a

15:52

hacker so the Air Force has a wonderful

15:54

program where it volunteers you to do

15:56

and uh I

15:59

joined the Air Force said Here I Am Lord

16:01

what would you like me to do and they

16:03

said go be a cyber

16:06

guy so if you were to take Snowden

16:08

slides completely seriously you'd think

16:10

that it's all mass surveillance I

16:12

actually for the first time ended up

16:13

seeing slides that I had actually seen

16:15

before in real life I was like holy

16:17

like I've seen these ones but once you

16:19

bring something into the intelligence

16:21

Community it you don't delete files like

16:23

everything is stored and so there was

16:25

some files that like get translated out

16:27

like their truth and they were just

16:29

remnants of product pitches or something

16:31

like that and so I think that you can't

16:33

take all the slides seriously we also

16:35

know that there is something called Tao

16:37

in in the

16:39

NSA what what is that team like what

16:41

what are they doing yeah so I think when

16:43

you look at Tao it's actually the thing

16:44

that I think most of the community

16:45

should be cool with right so I'm I'm

16:48

actually a huge privacy Advocate I hate

16:49

and ironically enough I hate the idea of

16:51

any sort of mass surveillance from a

16:53

perspective of Tao or whoever would be

16:55

breaking into those networks that's

16:57

targeted retained intelligence and so

16:59

privacy Advocates should actually enjoy

17:01

that they should say hey uh Mass

17:03

surveillance sucks we need more targeted

17:05

surveillance we need more targeted if

17:06

you're going to do intelligence do the

17:08

kind that you put resources into and

17:10

have to think about and have to

17:11

prioritize your own efforts it's not

17:13

going to be some dissident or

17:14

accidentally picking up somebody else's

17:15

Communications so who are Tao's targets

17:18

I don't know exactly their targets right

17:19

I wouldn't be able to speak about it

17:20

anyway but I I would say that it would

17:21

be asinine to assume that anything in

17:24

our national policy of Interest isn't

17:26

one of their targets right so if we say

17:28

if the president says Global terrorism

17:29

is something we're concerned with well

17:31

then to is not doing their job like the

17:32

government is not doing their job if

17:34

they don't go after it anything that the

17:35

president wakes up in the morning and

17:36

says hey this is important to me anybody

17:38

in the government who's not supporting

17:40

his needs is not doing their job so I

17:42

would just off virtue of that say the to

17:45

has to be doing that stuff or they're

17:46

incompetent and they're wasting taxpayer

17:48

money you know so you can't have it both

17:50

ways Rob made a pretty convincing case

17:52

for the so-called targeted surveillance

17:54

too conducts but investigative reporter

17:57

Ryan Gallagher disagrees

17:59

he says the problem is that the unit's

18:01

methods aren't as targeted as they seem

18:04

too is doing some of the most aggressive

18:06

work that NS does um the traditional Le

18:09

stropping where they're listening in on

18:11

a a phone call just by like wiretapping

18:14

a cable which they call kind of passive

18:16

surveillance that's actually becoming

18:19

almost secondary now to the active

18:22

surveillance they call which is

18:23

attacking and hacking systems and part

18:26

of the reason for that is because

18:28

increasingly networks and Technologies

18:31

adopting encryption and so they can't

18:34

listen to it by just tapping the kale

18:35

because then they can't read it or

18:37

listen to it it's just you know jargon

18:39

going forward especially with the sort

18:41

of boom and encryption you're going to

18:43

see more and more of these hacking

18:44

attacks to the point that it there may

18:46

come a stage in the future where it is

18:48

described as a mass surveillance uh kind

18:50

of

18:51

technique Tao's hacking skills may be in

18:54

higher demand than ever before and while

18:56

the group goes after terrorists that's

18:58

not all they

19:02

do how does Tao decide who to Target and

19:06

are they really legitimate

19:08

threats the elite unit has gone after Al

19:11

Qaeda and Taliban fighters but the

19:13

Snowden laks also revealed the group

19:15

hacked into the president of Mexico's

19:17

emails and workers at a Belgian

19:19

telecommunications company were spied on

19:21

by the British possibly with help from

19:23

Tao generally there is consensus that

19:26

mass surveillance is a bad thing while

19:29

targeted surveillance is table uh

19:31

because they go after very specific

19:33

individuals or very specific

19:34

groups however there's multiple things

19:37

that you need to consider one is what

19:39

makes a legitimate Target um you know

19:43

ultimately the NSA only has to respond

19:45

to somehow to the US government but they

19:48

have no respect whatsoever towards

19:50

forigners in so we had cases where you

19:52

know they spied on UNICEF they spied on

19:54

forain Ministries they spied on private

19:56

companies energy companies and you know

19:59

so what at that point makes it

20:01

legitimate to hack directly and Target a

20:03

certain

20:04

organization we don't

20:07

know one of the S documents that that

20:09

came out about the Taylor dax's group is

20:12

um one of the guys from within the unit

20:14

is saying look we don't just do

20:17

terrorism we do everything we do all

20:19

operations we're here to support any

20:21

operations I think it's one of the comic

20:23

and

20:24

misconceptions that the government has

20:26

managed to build up around a lot of

20:28

these Revelations so it's like don't

20:29

worry about it we're only going after

20:31

these extreme terrorist people who are

20:33

you know we're trying to protect you and

20:35

all that but that's kind of disingenuous

20:38

because it's not at all just what

20:39

they're doing they're doing a lot more

20:41

than that ultimately it seems Tao maybe

20:43

just one more tool in the nsa's mass

20:45

surveillance Arsenal what happens in a

20:47

mass surveillance regime you sweep up

20:50

essentially everybody everybody by

20:53

definition becomes a Target which means

20:55

there's no target the problem is that

20:57

when you do this in secet secret and you

20:59

protect your your secret powers this

21:01

usually doesn't end well in terms of

21:03

History it just

21:05

doesn't you know in

21:07

1984 the extraordinary George orell

21:09

novel the only place

21:13

Winston the only place he could go to

21:16

out of sight was in the corner because

21:20

that's where the surveillance cameras

21:21

couldn't reach which meant what they

21:23

knew where he was and remember people

21:25

forget even in 1984 he didn't prevail he

21:29

basically cried

21:31

Uncle you can't fight them can't beat

21:35

them join them you're a whistleblower

21:36

you cried Uncle to some extent or you

21:38

cried out yeah do you think it was worth

21:41

it

21:42

yeah history was at

21:47

stake we know the nsa's elite hacking

21:49

unit has helped capture terrorists but

21:52

they've also targeted friendly nation

21:54

states so who else have they gone after

21:57

for now much of Tao's work remains

21:59

shrouded in secrecy but privacy

22:02

activists whistleblowers and others

22:04

aren't giving up on the fight to know

22:05

more and to live surveillance free

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NSASurveillanceCybersecurityTerrorismWhistleblowerEdward SnowdenEncryptionHackingIntelligencePrivacy
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