Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
UK
Home Video World US & Canada UK Business Tech Science
UK England N. Ireland Scotland Wales Politics
5 October 2015 UK
Edward Snowden interview:'Smartphones can be taken over'By Peter TaylorBBC News
Smartphone users can do "very little" to stop security
News Sport Weather Shop Earth Travel More
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
1 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
services getting "total control" over their devices, USwhistleblower Edward Snowden has said.
The former intelligence contractor told the BBC's Panorama thatUK intelligence agency GCHQ had the power to hack into phoneswithout their owners' knowledge.
Mr Snowden said GCHQ could gain access to a handset bysending it an encrypted text message and use it for such things astaking pictures and listening in.
The UK government declined to comment.
'Nosey Smurf'
Edward Snowden says government phone-hacking capabilities were "named afterSmurfs"
Mr Snowden spoke to Panorama in Moscow, where he fled in 2013after leaking to the media details of extensive internet and phonesurveillance by his former employer, the US National SecurityAgency (NSA).
He did not suggest that either GCHQ or the NSA were interested
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
2 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
in mass-monitoring of citizens' private communications but saidboth agencies had invested heavily in technology allowing them tohack smartphones. "They want to own your phone instead of you,"he said.
Mr Snowden talked about GCHQ's "Smurf Suite", a collection ofsecret intercept capabilities individually named after the little blueimps of Belgian cartoon fame.
"Dreamy Smurf is the power management tool which meansturning your phone on and off without you knowing," he said.
"Nosey Smurf is the 'hot mic' tool. For example if it's in yourpocket, [GCHQ] can turn the microphone on and listen toeverything that's going on around you - even if your phone isswitched off because they've got the other tools for turning it on.
"Tracker Smurf is a geo-location tool which allows [GCHQ] tofollow you with a greater precision than you would get from thetypical triangulation of cellphone towers."
Peter Taylor's film Edward Snowden: Spies and the Law alsocovers:
The contentious relationship between the British governmentand social media companies. The intelligence agencies and thepolice want the companies to co-operate in detecting terroristcontent but the programme learns that not all companies areprepared to co-operate to the extent that the agencies wouldlike.
Documents leaked by Mr Snowden that appear to show that theUK government acquired vast amounts of communications datafrom inside Pakistan by secretly hacking into routersmanufactured by the US company, Cisco.
'Necessary and proportionate'
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
3 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
Mr Snowden also referred to a tool known as Paronoid Smurf.
"It's a self-protection tool that's used to armour [GCHQ's]manipulation of your phone. For example, if you wanted to take thephone in to get it serviced because you saw something strangegoing on or you suspected something was wrong, it makes it muchmore difficult for any technician to realise that anything's goneamiss."
Once GCHQ had gained access to a user's handset, Mr Snowdensaid the agency would be able to see "who you call, what you'vetexted, the things you've browsed, the list of your contacts, theplaces you've been, the wireless networks that your phone isassociated with.
"And they can do much more. They can photograph you".
Mr Snowden also explained that the SMS message sent by theagency to gain access to the phone would pass unnoticed by thehandset's owner.
"It's called an 'exploit'," he said. "That's a specially craftedmessage that's texted to your number like any other text messagebut when it arrives at your phone it's hidden from you. It doesn'tdisplay. You paid for it [the phone] but whoever controls thesoftware owns the phone."
Gchq
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
4 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
GCHQ is the UK government's digital spy agency
Describing the relationship between GCHQ and its US counterpart,he said: "GCHQ is to all intents and purposes a subsidiary of theNSA.
"They [the NSA] provide technology, they provide tasking anddirection as to what they [GCHQ] should go after."
The NSA is understood to have a similar programme to the SmurfSuite used by GCHQ on which it is reported to have spent $1bn inresponse to terrorists' increasing use of smartphones.
Mr Snowden said the agencies were targeting those suspected ofinvolvement in terrorism or other serious crimes such aspaedophilia "but to find out who those targets are they've got tocollect mass data".
"They say, and in many cases this is true, that they're not going toread your email, for example, but they can and if they did youwould never know," he said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the UK government said: "It islong-standing policy that we do not comment on intelligencematters.
"All of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legaland policy framework, which ensures that our activities areauthorised, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorousoversight, including from the secretary of state, the interceptionand intelligence services commissioners and the ParliamentaryIntelligence and Security Committee. All our operational processesrigorously support this position."
The government believes Mr Snowden has caused great damage
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
5 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
to the intelligence agencies' ability to counter threats to nationalsecurity.
Mr Snowden maintains he has acted in the public interest on thegrounds that the surveillance activities revealed in the thousandsof documents he leaked are carried out - in his words - "without ourknowledge, without our consent and without any sort of democraticparticipation".
Watch Peter Taylor's film: Edward Snowden, Spies and the Law onPanorama on BBC One on Monday, 5 October at 20:30 BST orcatch up later online.
Share this story About sharing
UK
4 hours ago 3 hours ago 2 hours ago
More Videos from the BBC
First flights return afterSharm alert
UK
'Fast internet' for all by2020 pledged
UK
Queen to lead tributes towar dead
UK
Recommended by Outbrain
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
6 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
Elsewhere on BBC
Recommended by Outbrain
Protests before China-TaiwansummitThere are protests in Taipei as Taiwan'sPresident Ma Ying-jeou leaves for talkswith China's President Xi Jinping, the firstever talks between leaders of the two
Egypt crash 'not due to enginefailure'
4 hours ago
New evidence allowed in Serial
Top Stories
Elderly man stopped atGatwick was 'shackled'before he died
Northern Irish newly-wedsdie on honeymoon inSouth Africa
Student secretly filmsTaliban fighter
US police officer'sunusual tactic to disperseteenagers
'Internet meme ruined mycareer'
Plane makes emergencylanding on Arkansas road
Taylor Swift sued over Shake It Off lyricsBBC News
Sexism row over new UK passportdesignBBC News
Police officer admits planning sex withteenage runawayBBC News
The tragic tale of Mt Everest’s mostfamous dead bodyBBC Future
Tastemaker: The world's most adorablerobotsBBC Culture
The countries that don’t existBBC Future
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
7 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
sides.
3 hours ago
case4 hours ago
Features & Analysis
Sealed chambersWould the pyramids havemade good grain stores?
Comedy TrumpBut can the presidentialcandidate beat the SNLcurse?
The abyssHow a boy sank into heroinaddiction
Caste and cowsHow a student film about beefbecame controversial
Computing pioneerThe story of one of the world'sfirst home personal computers
Week in picturesSome of the best newsphotographs from around theworld
Valour v sacrificeOne man - two tales ofheroism
Slower ordersWhy Katy Perry could be thebiggest hit at the Dubaiairshow
Most Popular
4:05
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
8 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
Read Watched'Can't hide it forever': The modelwho became a meme
1
Man finds his doppelganger onflight
2
Republicans will not air debate onNBC
3
Philae comet lander wakes up 4Last updated 14 June 2015
How can a teacher remove adisobedient pupil?
5
Pupil dies after school stabbing 6Migrants get bad weather discounts 7Canada detains 'IS-bound' youths 8
Last updated 20 May 2015
Tor launches hidden chat tool 9Personal announcements on socialmedia
10
From Around the Web
Your 401(k) Isn't Growing as Fast as It Should - Here's WhyMint.com
What the CEO of Kaiser Permanente says no one can take for…LinkedIn: Relationships …
11 Small Colleges That Cost the Least but Reap the Most…TheStreet
Yes, This Entrepreneur Really Is Using an RV Park as an OfficeChase for Business
1 Dirty Little Secret To Eliminate 15 Years Of Mortgage PaymentsLowerMyBills
Infographic Download: What Strategic Partners Mean For…
Promoted content by Outbrain
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
9 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM
News SportWeather ShopEarth TravelCapital CultureAutos FutureTV RadioCBBC CBeebiesFood Make It DigitaliWonder BitesizeMusic NatureLocal
Terms of Use About the BBC
Privacy Policy Cookies
Accessibility Help Parental Guidance
Contact the BBC Advertise with us
Ad choices
BBC News Services
Explore the BBC
Copyright © 2015 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approachto external linking.
On your mobile On yourconnected TV
Get news alerts Contact BBCNews
UPS on CFO.com
Edward Snowden interview: 'Smartphones can be taken over' -... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34444233
10 of 10 11/6/15 9:22 PM