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 operation. 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
scheme 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. Under Bullrun, it is said that
the NSA has built powerful
supercomputers to try to
crack the technology that
scrambles and encrypts
personal information when internet users log on to
access various services. 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 operation 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
scheme 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.

Source: BBC NEWS. m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23981291

I hope NL too has nt been compomised.

jeeeeeeez the end is near, if u are a team #endTIME pls click like

What? You mean Saint United States did this? I don't believe it.