HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019532.jpg
995 KB
Extraction Summary
2
People
3
Organizations
4
Locations
2
Events
1
Relationships
2
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / house oversight committee document
File Size:
995 KB
Summary
This document is page 44 from a book (likely 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein, based on the filename/ISBN) included in a House Oversight Committee production. It details Edward Snowden's activities in late 2012, specifically how he used his position as a Dell contractor to transfer files from Fort Meade to Hawaii. The text explains that this authorized transfer provided 'perfect cover' for him to steal unencrypted NSA data by exploiting security flaws he had previously identified in Japan.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | System Administrator / Contractor |
Subject of the text; described as intensifying rogue activities and stealing NSA data.
|
| Ledgett | Deputy Director |
Quoted describing Snowden's activities as 'perfect cover' for stealing data.
|
Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; employer/target of theft.
|
|
| Dell |
Contractor company Snowden worked for.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Indicated by the footer stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
Fall and Winter of 2012
Snowden transferred files from Fort Meade to Hawaii, using the activity as cover to steal data.
Fort Meade to Hawaii
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location where files were held.
|
|
|
Location of backup computers and base where data was moved.
|
|
|
Location where a security flaw was previously identified.
|
|
|
Location attributed to Edward Snowden's 2014 quote.
|
Relationships (1)
Snowden's job as a system administrator under contract to Dell
Key Quotes (2)
"What I came to feel is that a regime that is described as a national security agency has stopped representing the public interest and has instead begun to protect and promote state security interests."Source
— Edward Snowden
(Epigraph quote, Moscow, 2014)
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019532.jpg
Quote #1
"was moving copies of that data there for them... which was perfect cover for stealing the [NSA] data"Source
— Deputy Director Ledgett
(Describing Snowden's authorized work vs. his theft.)
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019532.jpg
Quote #2
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,414 characters)
CHAPTER 5
Crossing the Rubicon
What I came to feel is that a regime that is described as a national
security agency has stopped representing the public interest and
has instead begun to protect and promote state security interests.
—EDWARD SNOWDEN, MOSCOW, 2014
security agency has stopped representing the public interest and
has instead begun to protect and promote state security interests.
—EDWARD SNOWDEN, MOSCOW, 2014
SOON AFTER Snowden failed to get an SES job at the NSA in Sep-
tember 2012, he intensified his rogue activities. As we've seen,
part of Snowden's job as a system administrator under contract to
Dell was transferring files held at Fort Meade to backup computers
in Hawaii. He "was moving copies of that data there for them," said
Deputy Director Ledgett, "which was perfect cover for stealing the
[NSA] data" through the fall and winter of 2012. The security mea-
sures at the Hawaii base presented no obstacles to him because, as
a system administrator, he had privileges that allowed him to copy
documents that had not been encrypted. Indeed, it was part of the
process of building the backup system. The flaw he had pointed to
in Japan, in which system administrators working solo could safely
steal files, also existed in Hawaii, as we know. This time, however,
instead of bringing it to the attention of the NSA, he used it to steal
files.
tember 2012, he intensified his rogue activities. As we've seen,
part of Snowden's job as a system administrator under contract to
Dell was transferring files held at Fort Meade to backup computers
in Hawaii. He "was moving copies of that data there for them," said
Deputy Director Ledgett, "which was perfect cover for stealing the
[NSA] data" through the fall and winter of 2012. The security mea-
sures at the Hawaii base presented no obstacles to him because, as
a system administrator, he had privileges that allowed him to copy
documents that had not been encrypted. Indeed, it was part of the
process of building the backup system. The flaw he had pointed to
in Japan, in which system administrators working solo could safely
steal files, also existed in Hawaii, as we know. This time, however,
instead of bringing it to the attention of the NSA, he used it to steal
files.
Snowden could be confident that his thefts of documents would
go undetected. Real-time auditing of the movement of documents,
go undetected. Real-time auditing of the movement of documents,
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 44
9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019532
9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019532
Discussion 0
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this epstein document