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1.56 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
6
Organizations
1
Locations
2
Events
3
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / congressional oversight evidence
File Size:
1.56 MB
Summary
This document is page 150 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein, stamped with 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'. It discusses theories on how Edward Snowden obtained passwords to secure NSA vaults, specifically 'Level 3 documents.' The text details his employment transition from Dell to Booz Allen and explores the possibility that he unwittingly or deceptively used co-workers to gain access, noting that the NSA informed Congress in 2014 that three colleagues spoke to the FBI about potential deception.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Snowden | Subject |
Former infrastructure analyst/contractor accused of obtaining passwords to secure vaults.
|
| Edward Jay Epstein | Author |
Author of the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (implied by book title and filename prefix 'Epst').
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Dell |
Snowden's previous employer.
|
|
| Booz Allen |
Snowden's employer at the time of the events described.
|
|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; victim of the data breach.
|
|
| Congress |
Body informed by the NSA in 2014 regarding the breach.
|
|
| FBI |
Investigative body that interviewed Snowden's co-workers.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Likely the body possessing this document (indicated by HOUSE_OVERSIGHT stamp).
|
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Specific facility where Snowden was working as a trainee.
|
Relationships (3)
transferred to Booz Allen
three of his fellow workers told the FBI
Key Quotes (3)
"One of the most vexing problems that had to be explained by these scenarios is how Snowden got the passwords to up to twenty-four of these vaults."Source
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Quote #1
"As the NSA informed Congress in 2014, three of his fellow workers told the FBI that Snowden might have deceived them to gain access to their passwords."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019638.jpg
Quote #2
"Snowden had been working at the Threat Operations Center for just a few weeks as a trainee and was not well known to"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019638.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,303 characters)
150 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
exclusive alternatives. The point is to assure that any alternative that fits the relevant facts, no matter how implausible it may initially seem to be, is not neglected.
One of the most vexing problems that had to be explained by these scenarios is how Snowden got the passwords to up to twenty-four of these vaults. He could not have obtained these passwords during his previous employment at Dell, because Dell technicians did not have access to the Level 3 documents stored in these compartments. Nor, as noted earlier, was he given access to them when he transferred to Booz Allen, because he had not completed the requisite training.
Snowden had also, it will be recalled, relinquished his privileges as a system administrator when he transferred to Booz Allen, so he did not have the privilege to override password protection. In short, his new position as an infrastructure analyst did not give him the ability to enter compartments that he had not yet been read into.
As I’ve said, there are two possible ways he could have gotten these passwords: either he had assistance from a party who had access to them, or he found flaws in the NSA’s security procedures that left the supposedly closed vaults effectively unlocked.
One of the most vexing problems that had to be explained by these scenarios is how Snowden got the passwords to up to twenty-four of these vaults. He could not have obtained these passwords during his previous employment at Dell, because Dell technicians did not have access to the Level 3 documents stored in these compartments. Nor, as noted earlier, was he given access to them when he transferred to Booz Allen, because he had not completed the requisite training.
Snowden had also, it will be recalled, relinquished his privileges as a system administrator when he transferred to Booz Allen, so he did not have the privilege to override password protection. In short, his new position as an infrastructure analyst did not give him the ability to enter compartments that he had not yet been read into.
As I’ve said, there are two possible ways he could have gotten these passwords: either he had assistance from a party who had access to them, or he found flaws in the NSA’s security procedures that left the supposedly closed vaults effectively unlocked.
The Unwitting Accomplice Possibility
It is possible that if Snowden received assistance, it was entirely unwitting. He might have obtained some passwords through deception, such as tricking co-workers into typing their passwords into a device that captured them. As the NSA informed Congress in 2014, three of his fellow workers told the FBI that Snowden might have deceived them to gain access to their passwords. He could have simply asked other analysts at the center who had been read into compartments for their passwords. Such an approach would be extremely risky for the analyst, who could lose his job and security clearance by cooperating. It could also be risky for Snowden because any analyst he approached was supposed to report any request for a password to a security officer. Making such requests even more suspicious, Snowden had been working at the Threat Operations Center for just a few weeks as a trainee and was not well known to
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 150 9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019638
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