Training Materials for NSA Spying Tool "XKeyScore" Revealed

dryriver writes with news of the latest document release on NSA spying programs. Quoting The Guardian: "A top secret National Security Agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats, social media activities and the internet browsing histories of millions of individuals, according to documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The NSA boasts in training materials that the program, called XKeyscore, is its 'widest-reaching' system for developing intelligence from the Internet. The latest revelations will add to the intense public and congressional debate around the extent of NSA surveillance programs. They come as senior intelligence officials testify to the Senate judiciary committee on Wednesday, releasing classified documents in response to the Guardian's earlier stories on bulk collection of phone records and Fisa surveillance court oversight. The files shed light on one of Snowden's most controversial statements, made in his first video interview published by the Guardian on June 10. 'I, sitting at my desk,' said Snowden, could 'wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal email.' U.S. officials vehemently denied this specific claim. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee, said of Snowden's assertion: 'He's lying. It's impossible for him to do what he was saying he could do.'" The slides in question. Looks like it was Mike Rogers that was lying and not Snowden. So much for the NSA's attempt at quieting public fear by releasing information on the Verizon phone data collection program before Congressional hearings today.

Comments

Is anyone really surprised?

[intermodal]

First off, almost anything "publicly" done on the Internet or through a third party server is suspect. Second, the idea that the NSA isn't doing this is patently absurd. Third, if you believe the NSA when they deny doing things like this, you are an idiot. Espionage agencies are basically required to lie. It's in their job description. Quite literally, their job is to deceive people.

Re:No, it still looks like Snowden was lying...

[Anonymous Coward]

What part of PRISM didn't you get? The part where they hoover up data on everyone without a warrant or the part where they don't have to justify it to anyone?

More info

[cold fjord]

Wikipedia has an entry on it: X-Keyscore

Good background story: Solving the mystery of PRISM

Spiegel Online covered it: 'Key Partners': Secret Links Between Germany and the NSA

Oddly enough it appears that news about intelligence programs used by America and its allies is reported in Persian. Go figure.

Re:No, it still looks like Snowden was lying...

[jovius]

Sorry to inform you but it says so in the very document:

"Rolling Buffer" of ~3 days of ALL unfiltered data seen by XKEYSCORE:
- stores full-take data at the collection site - indexed by meta-data
- over 500 servers distributed around the world

Later:

- we can use this traffic to detect anomalies which can lead us to intelligence by itself
- E-mail Addresses, Extracted Files, Full Log, HTTP Parser, Phone Number, User Activity

It appears they take all data and then use that to detect anomalies. It includes data on everyone, and from all of the data they try to pinpoint targets.

Look for anomalous events
- Someone whose language is out of place for the region they are in
- Someone who is using encryption
- Someone searching the web for suspicious stuff

They have example tasks listed such as:

- Show me all the encrypted word documents from Iran
- Show me all PGP usage in Iran
- Swow me all the VPN startups in country X, and give me the data so I can decrypt and discover the users
- Show me all the Microsoft Excel spreadsheets containing MAC addresses coming out of Iraq so I can perform network mapping
- Show me all th exploitable machines in country X
- Show me all the word documents with references to IAEO [International Atomic Energy Organization?]
- Show me all documents that reference Osama Bin Laden

Re:No, it still looks like Snowden was lying...

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

From a legal perspective, it seems they are allowed to collect the data, but they can only look at it if authorized (ie, crtain requirements are met). What Snowden is saying is that the authorization method wasn't very robust, which means that someone somewhere probably has actually abused this to check up on his girlfriend

Tha's what I've been saying every story so far -- the "safeguards" are written process that people are supposed to follow. There is no uncorruptible logging going on, with MD5'd files shipping offsite to multiple storace sites; no alarms going off; no checks that servers don't have extra stuff installed.

If a G. Gordon Liddy operative wanted to do a little political spying on the opposition, nobody would know. And it is exactly this issue, spying on opponents, that half the first 10 amenents exist, not to stop them from spying on hot chicks.