Nsa Manager Alexander's Phones

(Updated: September 29, 2014)

After a gain of articles well-nigh how NSA intercepts unusual communications, nosotros at nowadays accept a facial expression at the equipment that NSA uses to secure their ain telecommunications, to a greater extent than specific those of its director.

We tin produce this because terminal December, the CBS computer program 60 Minutes offered closed to unprecedented insights into the NSA headquarters. Of course of teaching rattling limited, simply silent interesting for those alongside a precipitous eye. Perhaps the most revealing was that for the start fourth dimension ever it was shown how the purpose of the managing director of NSA looks like:

The purpose of NSA managing director Alexander, Dec 2013
(click to enlarge)

The purpose of the managing director is at a corner on the 8th flooring of the OPS 2B building, which is the wider in addition to lower 1 of the 2 dark mirrored drinking glass structures of the NSA headquarters at Fort George G. Meade. Contrary to what many people would in all probability expect, the director's purpose is far from high tech. We regard a rather traditional interior alongside a classic wooden desk, shelfs alongside books, painting demo frames in addition to lots of memorabilia, a conference tabular array in addition to a grouping of old-fashioned seatings alongside a large establish inward a shiny copper pot.

Most interesting for us is the telecommunication equipment used past times the electrical flow director, Keith B. Alexander, which tin hold upward seen inward the next screenshot:

NSA managing director Alexander working at his desk, Dec 2013
Behind him nosotros regard his secure telephone equipment
(click to enlarge)

VTC Screen
In the corner at the left nosotros regard a video teleconferencing covert alongside a high-definition camera, made past times the Norwegian manufacturer Tandberg. In 2010 this fellowship was bought past times Cisco Systems, so their equipment tin hold upward safely used for U.S. Top Secret/SCI videoconferencing. From within secured locations (SCI enclaves), the video feed goes over the JWICS IP network for the intelligence community, which is secured past times stream-based Type 1 mass encryption devices.

STE Phone
At the left of full general Alexander there's a large dark telephone called Secure Terminal Equipment (STE), which is made past times L3 Communications. The STE is a highly secure phone, which agency that this device is capable of encrypting calls upward to the marker of Top Secret/SCI. This telephone tin hold upward used to brand secure calls to anyone alongside a similar or compatible device. STE is the successor of the almost legendary STU-III secure telephone organisation from the slowly 1980s.

With an estimated 400.000 users, STE is used for secure communications alongside everyone working for the U.S. government, the armed services or its contractors, who tin non hold upward reached through a to a greater extent than pick out secure telephone network for the U.S. armed services (IST/DRSN) or the SIGINT community (NSTS).

IST Phone
At the far correct nosotros regard a large white Integrated Services Telephone (IST), which was designed past times Electrospace Systems Inc. in addition to manufactured past times Raytheon. This is a so called "red phone", which agency that it's connected to the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN). This is the principal secure telephone network for armed services command in addition to command communications in addition to connects all mayor U.S. command centers in addition to many other armed services facilities.

Although this IST telephone looks rattling futuristic, it was gradually replaced past times the newer President's desk inward the Oval Office, earlier it was replaced past times a Cisco IP telephone for the novel Executive Voice over Secure IP-network inward 2011, to render a dedicated link betwixt the President in addition to his senior cabinet members.

It's revealing to regard that there's no such novel IP telephone inward the purpose of the managing director of NSA, which agency that he has no take business to the President. Which is according to the fact that NSA truly falls nether the Department of Defense in addition to its intelligence gathering is coordinated past times the Director of National Intelligence.
&nsbp;

NSTS Phone
H5N1 third, white telephone laid upward is hidden correct behind full general Alexander's back, simply nosotros tin regard a glimpse of it inward this screenshot:

NSA managing director Alexander's phones

NSA managing director Alexander working at his desk, Dec 2013
Behind him nosotros regard his secure telephone equipment

This telephone is component division of NSTS, which stands for National (or NSA/CSS) Secure Telephone System in addition to is the NSA's internal telephone network for calls upward to the marker of Top Secret/SCI. Newer NSTS phones are connected past times fiber optic modems to a fiber backplane that interfaces alongside an NSANet access betoken router. The phonation traffic is in addition to then encrypted together alongside information traffic utilizing a Type 1 mass encryption device.

As tin hold upward seen inward other pictures from within NSA, the devices used on the NSTS network are white Israeli in addition to the British prime number minister. Nortel was a large Canadian telephone equipment manufacturer, simply was dissolved inward 2009. Thereafter, the Enterprise Voice in addition to Data partition of Nortel was bought past times the U.S. telecommications fellowship Avaya (formerly Lucent)

H5N1 Nortel M3904 telephone from the NSTS network equally seen
elsewhere inward the NSA headquarters building

From declassified NSA documents, nosotros tin acquire that the NSTS phones receive got numbers similar 963-5247s (with s for secure) in addition to that the numbers of the STE phones are written similar STE 6325 (no existent examples).* The IST phones of the DRSN receive got 4 or 5 digit numbers.*

Predecessors of these 3 types of telephones (STE, IST in addition to NSTS) were also introduce inward the purpose of in addition to then NSA managing director Michael V. Hayden, when James Bamford described a coming together alongside him inward his 2001 volume Body of Secrets:

"There are also several telephones on the table. One for secure internal calls; closed to other is a secure STU-III for tube external calls; in addition to a "red line" alongside buttons that tin set him through directly to the secretarial assistant of defense, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff in addition to other senior officials.
No phones, however, connect the managing director to the White House; indeed, during Hayden's start twelvemonth inward office, he never, in 1 lawsuit spoke take to president Clinton".*

In a declassified interview (pdf) alongside NSA managing director Hayden from Jan 5th, 2000, he says:

"Behind my credenza, I receive got a greyish phone, a STU-III, an STE, in addition to a carmine phone. NSA has a greyish telephone because it was ahead of everybody else. But everyone else has caught up. So I truly made the Federal Reserve notation today to acquire dorsum in addition to regard how much it costs us to sustain these systems."

Compared to the province of affairs inward 2001 equally described above, nosotros regard that the (outdated) STU-III was removed presently afterwards, in addition to the term "gray phone" plainly refers to the telephone device connected to the NSTS.

Computers
In a split upward program, called 60 Minutes Overtime, CBS showed 'The Making Of' their previous threescore Minutes written report well-nigh NSA. It included closed to novel video fragments, similar 1 inward which nosotros acquire a amend facial expression at the figurer equipment on the desk behind managing director Alexander's chair:

NSA managing director Alexander existence interviewed past times John Miller, Dec 2013
At the left side nosotros regard the director's figurer equipment
(click to enlarge)

We regard a mutual HP purpose keyboard, 2 figurer screens in addition to inward betwixt them there's a so-called KVM-switch alongside closed to colorful stickers on it.

The latter device is used to run on multiple computers or networks operating at dissimilar classification levels, all alongside 1 Keyboard, Video covert in addition to Mouse, thus the abbreviation KVM. By pushing a button, the device tin switch betwixt 4 dissimilar connections, which is done past times the hardware inward lodge to proceed them physically separated. The KVM Switch inward this painting demo is the SwitchView SC4 from Avocent (formerly Cybex) alongside 4 secure channels.

From the stickers alongside the color codes, nosotros acquire that this device enables the managing director to switch betwixt 3 split upward figurer networks at the next classification levels:

- Green: UNCLASSIFIED, which is the armed services NIPRNet
- Red: SECRET, which is the armed services SIPRNet
- Orange: TOP SECRET in addition to Yellow: TOP SECRET/SCI

The latter connexion is most ofttimes used for access to JWICS, the highly secure network used past times the American intelligence community, simply hither it may also hold upward used for NSANet. It's non clear whether the 2nd compter covert is for 1 of these networks, or for a split upward access to the mutual internet. Both screens receive got a bluish label which mightiness announce that the screens tin hold upward used for multiple classification levels.

60 Minutes

The CBS computer program Inside the NSA was broadcasted on Dec 15, 2013, simply was immediatly heavily critized equally existence besides less critical inward approach to the NSA, closed to people fifty-fifty said it was NSA propaganda. This seems non quite fair, equally Snowden reporter Glenn Greenwald had numourous occasions inward media from all over the globe to introduce his interpretation of what NSA is doing - which went almost unquestioned.

CBS reporter John Miller asked NSA managing director Alexander well-nigh all the major things that came upward from the Snowden-leaks in addition to he also got answers. NSA fifty-fifty showed an actual instance of how the metadata contact chaining method works. Whether 1 is satisfied past times these anwers is closed to other thing, simply nosotros should keep inward mind that Greenwald's version is non ever the correct 1 in addition to NSA is non ever lying.

CBS threescore Minutes: Inside the NSA (December 15, 2013)