An Nsa Eavesdropping Illustration Study

(Updated: Dec 7, 2015)

On September 1, the pop Brazilian television set intelligence mag Fantástico reported virtually an NSA functioning for wiretapping the communications of the presidents of United Mexican States in addition to Brazil. Fantástico is business office of the Globo network, which already disclosed diverse tiptop cloak-and-dagger NSA presentations concluding July.

Now, the Brazilian mag showed about novel tiptop cloak-and-dagger NSA documents, similar a powerpoint presentation virtually the eavesdropping operation, which were all amid the thousands of documents which Edward Snowden gave to Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald inwards June.

Fantástico also published the slides on their website, but every bit that's solely inwards portuguese, nosotros demo these slides too, because they give a prissy graphical insight inwards how the NSA intercepts unusual communications.

The Fantástico intelligence mag started showing a encompass canvass of a presentation which bears the logo of the SIGDEV Strategy in addition to Governance partition of the NSA, where SIGDEV stands for SIGINT Development. However, it's non quite clear whether this partition is also responsible for the eavesdropping functioning which is shown below.

The presentation was prepared inwards June 2012 past times the Scalable Analytics Tradecraft Center (SATC) of NSA. Except for the abbreviation SATC, the total hollo of this unit of measurement was initially unknown, thus the Fantástico website assumed it stood for "Secure in addition to Trustworthy Cyberspace" (SaTC), but that's genuinely a program of the US National Science Foundation. Brazilian television set briefly showed the hollo of the writer of the presentation, but hither nosotros blacked that out.

This slide shows the overall classification degree of the presentation: TOP SECRET // COMINT // REL TO USA, AUS, CAN, GBR, NZL. This agency the information is Top Secret, contained inwards the COMINT (Communications Intelligence) command organization in addition to is solely to move released to the US in addition to it's "Five Eyes" or UKUSA partners: the UK, Canada, Commonwealth of Australia in addition to New Zealand.


The presentation starts amongst 2 slides, showing the benefits of searching for contacts past times using graphs:

The side past times side iii slides demo about to a greater extent than details of the specific elements of the process:

The Mexican target

The kickoff target of the functioning was the in addition to thus Mexican candidate for the presidency, Enrique Peña Nieto. The information was analysed past times NSA unit of measurement S2C41 which is the Mexican Leadership Team in addition to is also business office of the S2C production work for International Security Issues (ISI).

This slide shows the procedure of searching for contacts in addition to communications of the mexican president:

1. Selectors, similar known email adresses or telephone numbers related to EPN (Enrique Peña Nieto) are used every bit seeds to start the process.

2. The initial seeds atomic number 82 to 2-hop graphs, evidently based upon metadata which are inwards the databases mentioned below the graph: MAINWAY is the NSA's database of mass telephone metadata, CIMBRI is seen hither for the kickoff time, in addition to could move about other variety of metadata database. JEMA probably stands for Joint Enterprise Modeling in addition to Analytics, which is a tool that allows analysts to practise to a greater extent than complex analytic scenarios.

3. Next, addresses discovered past times creating the contact graphs tin human activity every bit selectors for collecting SMS messages. For this the MAINWAY database is used too, simply similar ASSOCIATION, which, according to the Fantástico website, filters text messages (SMS) to mobile phones.

4. Finally, these messages become to DISHFIRE, which is NSA's database for text messages in addition to tin move searched for for sure keywords.

This slide shows 2 "interesting messages", proving that content of text messages was collected. In the 2 quoted passages, the Mexican presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto is inwards word amongst about of the designated ministers of his hereafter government. Parts of the messages are blacked out past times Brazilian media.


The Brazilian target

The minute target of the functioning were the Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in addition to her fundamental advisers. The information was analysed past times NSA unit of measurement S2C42 which is focussed on the Brazilian leadership. This unit of measurement is business office of the NSA's S2C production work for International Security.

This slide shows the procedure of searching for contacts in addition to communications of the Brazilian president. The intelligence gathering starts amongst a few DNI Selectors (like email or IP addresses) which human activity every bit seeds growing into a 2-hop contact graph. This graph shows all the addresses which had 2-hop or 2-step contacts amongst the master copy seed addresses.

Below the graph is the word SCIMITAR, seen hither for the kickoff time, which could move a tool to practise such contact graphs, or mayhap a database containing metadata from which these contacts tin move derived.

From the 2-hop contact graph NSA evidently discovered novel selectors (e-mail or IP addresses) associated amongst the Brazilian president in addition to her advisers. Another slide, which was non published, is said to demo all the names associated amongst the colored dots inwards this graph.

The presentation concludes that at that topographic point was a successful cooperation betwixt the mysterious unit of measurement SATC in addition to the Latin American units from the S2C International Security division. This led to a successful implementation of contact filtering past times using graphs, resulting inwards the interception of communications of high-profile, security-savvy Brazilian in addition to Mexican targets.


This presentation gives insight inwards a specific eavesdropping operation, but also gives a adept sentiment of how NSA is collecting information from the cyberspace inwards general, for illustration through PRISM in addition to diverse other programs which get together information from internet backbone cables.

Allthough the presentation is clarifying, it could also convey been published without mentioning the specific targets involved. Showing that this functioning targeted the presidents of United Mexican States in addition to Brazil did non serve a world interest, but unnecessarily damaged the human relationship betwixt the United States of America of America in addition to both countries.

Glenn Greenwald seemed to justify the publication past times proverb that the presentation proved that NSA was also intercepting the content of telephone calls in addition to email messages. After before disclosures, the US had said that they solely collect mass metadata from Brazil in addition to no content. But of course of study this tilt solely applied to ordinary citizens, every bit eavesdropping on unusual political in addition to military machine leaders is to a greater extent than ofttimes than non considered to move a legal activity of (signals) intelligence agencies.

Greenwald, who lives inwards Rio de Janeiro, also said that "most of the spying they [= the US] practise does non convey anything to practise amongst national security, it is to obtain an unfair payoff over other nations inwards their industrial in addition to commerce economical agreements". But amongst this motive he also acts to a greater extent than inwards the national involvement of Brazil, or at to the lowest degree similar an activist, than every bit a journalist working for Earth interest.

(Updated past times rearranging the slide club in addition to about related nestling corrections - run across the comment below)


> See also: How NSA targeted the Venezuelan crude society PdVSA



Links in addition to Sources
- Globo.com: Documentos revelam esquema de agência dos EUA para espionar Dilma
- Cryptome.org: Veja os documentos ultrassecretos que comprovam espionagem a Dilma
- Bloomberg.com: U.S. Spied on Presidents of Brazil in addition to Mexico, Globo Reports