HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695.jpg
1.66 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
4
Organizations
4
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / published manuscript page (evidence in government inquiry)
File Size:
1.66 MB
Summary
This document is page 207 from a book (likely by Edward Jay Epstein based on the filename 'Epst' and context) discussing the impact of Edward Snowden's intelligence breach on the NSA. It details how Snowden gained access in 2009 and 2013, the compromise of intelligence regarding Russia, Iran, and China, and the subsequent efforts by NSA Director Rogers to manage the fallout and morale issues in 2014. The page bears a House Oversight Bates stamp, indicating it was part of a congressional production.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Former NSA Contractor / Whistleblower |
Described as an inside intruder who stole secrets and compromised sources in 2009 and four years later.
|
| Rogers | NSA Director |
Took over in June 2014, addressed morale and the impact of the breach.
|
| General Hayden | Former Intelligence Official |
Cited regarding the paralyzing morale at the intelligence service.
|
| Michael McConnell | Vice-chairman of Booz Allen |
Stated that repairing the damage might take decades.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency, the primary subject of the text.
|
|
| NSA Technology Directorate |
Department where the contractor worked.
|
|
| Booz Allen |
Consulting firm where Michael McConnell is vice-chairman.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
2009
Relationships (2)
Worked for outside contractor, stole secrets.
Rogers cited Hayden regarding morale.
Key Quotes (4)
"The queen on our chessboard had been taken."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695.jpg
Quote #1
"the nation has lost capabilities against adversaries right now who are attempting to actively undermine us."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695.jpg
Quote #2
"the sky has not fallen."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695.jpg
Quote #3
"repairing the damage might take many 'decades'"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,446 characters)
The Rise of the NSA | 207
to know about the data they contained. These compartments were the final line of defense against an inside intruder.
In 2009, Snowden, as we know, found his way into the NSA through a temporary job with an outside contractor that was working for the NSA’s Technology Directorate to repair and update its backup system. Four years later, by maneuvering to get hired by another outside contractor with access to the NSA’s sources and methods, he was able to steal secrets stored in isolated computers bearing directly on the ongoing intelligence war. Snowden also copied from these compartments in a matter of weeks, as has been previously mentioned, the NSA’s Level 3 sources and methods used against Russia, Iran, and China. The Snowden breach demonstrated that the NSA’s envelope of secrecy was at best illusory.
After this immense loss, the NSA’s sources inside these adversary countries were largely compromised, even if they were not closed down. Once these adversaries were in a position to know what channels the NSA was intercepting, they could use these same channels to mislead U.S. intelligence. A former top intelligence official told me, “The queen on our chessboard had been taken.”
The NSA moved to mitigate the damage and find new ways of obtaining unexpected intelligence. In June 2014, the new NSA director, Rogers, had to confront flagging morale that, according to General Hayden, was near paralyzing the intelligence service. Rogers recognized that as a direct result of the Snowden breach, “the nation has lost capabilities against adversaries right now who are attempting to actively undermine us.” But even with that loss, he observed, “the sky has not fallen.”
As in the Chicken Little fable he cited, the world had not ended for the NSA. Nor had it ended for the multibillion-dollar outsourcing enterprise it superintended. The NSA might have lost many of its sources, or “capabilities,” but Rogers held out hope that new sources could eventually be found to replace them. Compromised codes, after all, could be changed. New technological methods could be devised. New vulnerabilities could also be targeted in enemy territories. Although repairing the damage might take many “decades,” according to Michael McConnell, the vice-chairman of Booz Allen, the new director had to get on with that task. McConnell, a for-
In 2009, Snowden, as we know, found his way into the NSA through a temporary job with an outside contractor that was working for the NSA’s Technology Directorate to repair and update its backup system. Four years later, by maneuvering to get hired by another outside contractor with access to the NSA’s sources and methods, he was able to steal secrets stored in isolated computers bearing directly on the ongoing intelligence war. Snowden also copied from these compartments in a matter of weeks, as has been previously mentioned, the NSA’s Level 3 sources and methods used against Russia, Iran, and China. The Snowden breach demonstrated that the NSA’s envelope of secrecy was at best illusory.
After this immense loss, the NSA’s sources inside these adversary countries were largely compromised, even if they were not closed down. Once these adversaries were in a position to know what channels the NSA was intercepting, they could use these same channels to mislead U.S. intelligence. A former top intelligence official told me, “The queen on our chessboard had been taken.”
The NSA moved to mitigate the damage and find new ways of obtaining unexpected intelligence. In June 2014, the new NSA director, Rogers, had to confront flagging morale that, according to General Hayden, was near paralyzing the intelligence service. Rogers recognized that as a direct result of the Snowden breach, “the nation has lost capabilities against adversaries right now who are attempting to actively undermine us.” But even with that loss, he observed, “the sky has not fallen.”
As in the Chicken Little fable he cited, the world had not ended for the NSA. Nor had it ended for the multibillion-dollar outsourcing enterprise it superintended. The NSA might have lost many of its sources, or “capabilities,” but Rogers held out hope that new sources could eventually be found to replace them. Compromised codes, after all, could be changed. New technological methods could be devised. New vulnerabilities could also be targeted in enemy territories. Although repairing the damage might take many “decades,” according to Michael McConnell, the vice-chairman of Booz Allen, the new director had to get on with that task. McConnell, a for-
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 207
9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695
9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019695
Discussion 0
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this epstein document