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1.45 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
4
Organizations
4
Locations
3
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / government exhibit
File Size:
1.45 MB
Summary
This document is Page 80 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein (indicated by the ISBN in the footer), marked as a House Oversight Committee exhibit (Bates stamp HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019568). The text details Edward Snowden's theft of classified NSA and Booz Allen documents in April and May 2013, his method of extracting data to thumb drives, his evasion of security, and his preparations to flee Hawaii while misleading his partner, Lindsay Mills, and his colleague, Bay.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Subject / Former System Administrator |
Stole classified documents from the NSA and Booz Allen; prepared for departure from Hawaii.
|
| Lindsay Mills | Snowden's Partner |
Departed for a two-week visit to outer islands; Snowden left her a note regarding his absence.
|
| Bay | Supervisor/Colleague |
Informed by Snowden that he needed time off for epilepsy tests.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; target of the data theft.
|
|
| Booz Allen |
Defense contractor employing Snowden.
|
|
| FISA Court |
Issued an order on April 25, 2013, which Snowden acquired.
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| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019568'.
|
Timeline (3 events)
May 17, 2013
Snowden's last day at the NSA facility; transferred data to thumb drives and walked out.
NSA Facility
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of the data theft.
|
|
|
Location from which Snowden departed.
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|
|
Mentioned in the context of computers penetrated by the NSA.
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Mentioned in the context of computers penetrated by the NSA.
|
Relationships (2)
Lived together in Hawaii; he packed while she was away; left her a note.
Snowden reported his absence for medical tests to Bay.
Key Quotes (4)
"Whatever the NSA's and Booz Allen's security measures, Snowden succeeded in getting the files."Source
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Quote #1
"He had completed the operation by May 17, the last day he would ever enter the NSA facility."Source
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Quote #2
"Then he coolly walked past the security guards at the exit, who only seldom performed random checks on NSA employees."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019568.jpg
Quote #3
"He simply left a note that she could show to authorities saying that he was away on a 'business trip.'"Source
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Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,109 characters)
80 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
maintenance work. Even though Snowden was no longer a system administrator, he could still perhaps befriend a system administrator or even steal or borrow a service computer.
Whatever the NSA's and Booz Allen's security measures, Snowden succeeded in getting the files. In a matter of a few weeks, he managed to download hundreds of thousands of Level 3 documents to an unsealed computer. He also took some less sensitive documents from the administrative file (which contained mainly Level 1 documents) at the end of April. These later acquisitions included an order from the FISA court issued on April 25, 2013.
He had completed the operation by May 17, the last day he would ever enter the NSA facility. He transferred the data he had amassed on the service computer, including the lists of the computers in Russia and China that the NSA had succeeded in penetrating, onto storage devices, which he later said were thumb drives. Then he coolly walked past the security guards at the exit, who only seldom performed random checks on NSA employees.
He carried out the entire operation with such brilliant stealth that he left few if any clues behind as to how he obtained his colleagues' passwords to multiple compartments, moved the data from many different supposedly sealed computers to an opened service machine, or downloaded these documents to multiple thumb drives without arousing suspicion. The NSA would not discover the theft for fifteen days.
His departure from Hawaii was also well prepared. Lindsay Mills had departed that morning for a planned two-week visit to the outer islands. This trip allowed him to pack his belongings without saying anything to her that might be difficult for her to later explain. He simply left a note that she could show to authorities saying that he was away on a "business trip." He informed Bay that he would have to go in for epilepsy tests on the following Monday and Tuesday. If the results weren't good, he might have to be out even longer.
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9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019568
9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019568
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