NSA Cracked Into Encrypted UN Video Conferences

McGruber writes "According to documents seen by Germany's Der Spiegel, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) successfully cracked the encryption code protecting the United Nations' internal videoconferencing system. NSA first breached the UN system in the summer of 2012 and, within three weeks of initially gaining access to the UN system, the NSA had increased the number of such decrypted communications from 12 to 458. On one occasion, according to the report, while the American NSA were attempting to break into UN communications, they discovered the Chinese were attempting to crack the encryption code as well."

Comments

The dilema ...

[Anonymous Coward]

If the NSA can do it, so can other people. So should the NSA reveal what they can do so the UN can switch to more secure communications. Or should the NSA have continued to monitor with the knowledge that the Chinese, Russians and probably a few others were also listening in?

Re:The dilema ...

[gmuslera]

Spying is not an act of war, but is an act of aggression. Doing it in the very place where peace and agreement is try to be made between nations is a clear signal that US don't care at all about those topics. Stop being fooled about "we are doing this because we care about people", all is just another plot for getting more power and more money.

Diplomatic implications

[shentino]

If I was the state department I would be furious about this.

Short of a direct attack on a diplomat I don't think there is a worse breach of international custom and law.

Snooping on citizens is bad enough, but this is playing with fire.

Re:Diplomatic implications

[jovius]

It's a cruel reality. Instead of using advanced high tech and knowledge to create impartial and protected communication networks for the UN the member countries try to take the systems down for their own use.

Leaked?

[PCM2]

So where did Der Spiegel get these documents? On Friday, Edward Snowden accused the US government of intentionally leaking documents to The Independent that were potentially damaging, in an effort to discredit the responsible reporting being done by The Guardian and the Washington Post. He said he had never worked with nor even spoken to anyone at The Independent. Is the same thing happening here?

Another source/translation of Der Speigel?

[Shoten]

RT is infamous for being virulently anti-American; it's a Russian news organization with an agenda that is fairly obvious at times. Now, that said, Der Spiegel is a totally valid news organization...so can someone provide something directly from that, instead of interpretation by people with their own agenda regarding this?

Ah, never mind: here you go: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/25/us-usa-security-nsa-idUSBRE97O08120130825

Re:LOL, a German bragging about social protests

[ColdWetDog]

Oh give it up. How about early European settlers wiping out 12 million indigenous Americans by smallpox and influenza within a decade of landing on shore? Yes, we should remember the Holocaust during WWII. And Rwanda. And Nanking. And godknowswhatelse. Nobody's ancestors have much of a moral high ground.

Move along.

Re: Yo Dawg we heard the chinese

[icebike]

Exactly. So it's OK the USA does it but not the Chinese?

Actually, I suspect at least half the break-ins blamed on the Chinese are actually the NSA doing it, then planting a trail designed to point to the Chinese. Not that I doubt the Chinese are doing hacking, just that because the do attempt to penetrate important sites, the NSA can use that as cover.