Friday, February 20, 2015

Another Snowden revelation

A SIM card is a very important - perhaps, the most important - part of your cell phone. It is used to authenticate users and relay key information to the network on which the phone is operating. The largest manufacturer of these cards is a Dutch company, Gemalto. Its customers include ATT, T-Mobile and many more. 

Well, come to find out, we and England worked together in order to hack into Gemalto's computer systems and are now able to access highly-guarded encryption codes and, thus, the global cell phone communications of anyone using the cards.

With these stolen encryption keys, intelligence agencies can monitor mobile communications without seeking or receiving approval from telecom companies and foreign governments. Possessing the keys also sidesteps the need to get a warrant or a wiretap, while leaving no trace on the wireless provider’s network that the communications were intercepted. Bulk key theft additionally enables the intelligence agencies to unlock any previously encrypted communications they had already intercepted, but did not yet have the ability to decrypt.


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