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1.66 MB
Extraction Summary
1
People
9
Organizations
2
Locations
4
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / congressional exhibit
File Size:
1.66 MB
Summary
This document is page 217 of a book (identified by the filename ISBN as 'Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales') included as an exhibit in a House Oversight Committee investigation (Bates stamped). The text details systemic cybersecurity failures within the U.S. intelligence community's vetting process, specifically focusing on contractors USIS and Booz Allen Hamilton, and the OPM's e-QIP system. It highlights how these vulnerabilities allowed foreign actors (China and Russia) and hacker groups (Anonymous) to access sensitive personnel data, noting that Edward Snowden used these compromised systems to update his clearance in 2011.
People (1)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Snowden | Intelligence Employee / Whistleblower |
Mentioned as an example of someone who updated his security clearance in 2011 using the vulnerable e-QIP system.
|
Organizations (9)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; subject of data breaches via contractors.
|
|
| USIS |
U.S. Investigations Services; sued for vetting failures and suffered massive data breaches.
|
|
| Department of Homeland Security |
Counterintelligence unit discovered the breach in USIS in 2014.
|
|
| Chinese intelligence service |
Attributed to the intrusion into USIS records.
|
|
| Anonymous |
Took credit for the 2011 attack on Booz Allen Hamilton servers.
|
|
| Booz Allen Hamilton |
NSA's largest contractor; servers hacked by Anonymous in 2011.
|
|
| Office of Personnel Management |
OPM; cited for security failures regarding the e-QIP system.
|
|
| Congress |
Informed by the U.S. government in 2015 regarding China's responsibility for hacks.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Inferred from the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019705'.
|
Timeline (4 events)
2011
Hacker group Anonymous attacked Booz Allen Hamilton servers.
Cyberspace
Relationships (2)
Context implies Snowden was a contractor updating clearance for NSA work.
The hackers' group Anonymous took credit for the successful 2011 attack on the Booz Allen Hamilton servers.
Key Quotes (4)
"On August 20, 2015, USIS agreed to forfeit $30 million in fees to settle the lawsuit."Source
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Quote #1
"USIS’s lack of security in its website left a gaping hole through which outside parties, including Chinese and Russian hackers, could learn both the identity and the background information of specialists applying for jobs at the NSA."Source
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Quote #2
"If amateur hackers such as Anonymous could break into the computers of the NSA’s largest contractor, so could adversaries’ state espionage services with far more advanced hacking tools."Source
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Quote #3
"It has repeatedly been hacked by unknown parties since 2010."Source
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Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,478 characters)
The NSA’s Back Door | 217
through the back door of outside contractors were not fully vetted.
(On August 20, 2015, USIS agreed to forfeit $30 million in fees to
settle the lawsuit.)
(On August 20, 2015, USIS agreed to forfeit $30 million in fees to
settle the lawsuit.)
USIS was also open to sophisticated hacking attacks by outsid-
ers. In August 2014, the Department of Homeland Security’s coun-
terintelligence unit discovered such a massive and persistent breach
in USIS that it shut down its entire exchange of data with it. The
intrusion into USIS records in this case was attributed to hackers in
China most likely linked to the Chinese intelligence service. Such
massive intrusions dated back to 2011. USIS’s lack of security in its
website left a gaping hole through which outside parties, including
Chinese and Russian hackers, could learn both the identity and the
background information of specialists applying for jobs at the NSA.
ers. In August 2014, the Department of Homeland Security’s coun-
terintelligence unit discovered such a massive and persistent breach
in USIS that it shut down its entire exchange of data with it. The
intrusion into USIS records in this case was attributed to hackers in
China most likely linked to the Chinese intelligence service. Such
massive intrusions dated back to 2011. USIS’s lack of security in its
website left a gaping hole through which outside parties, including
Chinese and Russian hackers, could learn both the identity and the
background information of specialists applying for jobs at the NSA.
These private companies also did not sufficiently protect the per-
sonal data of their independent contractors working at the NSA.
The hackers’ group Anonymous took credit for the successful 2011
attack on the Booz Allen Hamilton servers. It also cracked the algo-
rithms used to protect employees. It next injected so-called Trojan
horse viruses and other malicious codes into Booz Allen servers
that allowed it future entry. If amateur hackers such as Anonymous
could break into the computers of the NSA’s largest contractor, so
could adversaries’ state espionage services with far more advanced
hacking tools. From these sites, China or Russia could obtain all the
job applications and personal résumés submitted to contractors such
as Booz Allen. It could then compile a list of the best candidates to
do its bidding.
sonal data of their independent contractors working at the NSA.
The hackers’ group Anonymous took credit for the successful 2011
attack on the Booz Allen Hamilton servers. It also cracked the algo-
rithms used to protect employees. It next injected so-called Trojan
horse viruses and other malicious codes into Booz Allen servers
that allowed it future entry. If amateur hackers such as Anonymous
could break into the computers of the NSA’s largest contractor, so
could adversaries’ state espionage services with far more advanced
hacking tools. From these sites, China or Russia could obtain all the
job applications and personal résumés submitted to contractors such
as Booz Allen. It could then compile a list of the best candidates to
do its bidding.
These deficiencies in the private sector were compounded by
the failure of security in the government’s own Office of Person-
nel Management. It used a computer system called e-QIP in which
intelligence employees, including outside contractors, updated their
computerized records to maintain or upgrade their security clear-
ances. For example, Snowden updated his clearance in 2011. To do
so, these employees constantly updated their financial and personal
information. As it turned out, there was a major hole in the e-QIP
system. It has repeatedly been hacked by unknown parties since
2010. In 2015, the U.S. government told Congress that China was
most likely responsible, but Russia and other nations with sophis-
the failure of security in the government’s own Office of Person-
nel Management. It used a computer system called e-QIP in which
intelligence employees, including outside contractors, updated their
computerized records to maintain or upgrade their security clear-
ances. For example, Snowden updated his clearance in 2011. To do
so, these employees constantly updated their financial and personal
information. As it turned out, there was a major hole in the e-QIP
system. It has repeatedly been hacked by unknown parties since
2010. In 2015, the U.S. government told Congress that China was
most likely responsible, but Russia and other nations with sophis-
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 217 9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019705
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