http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1260306/edward-snowden-classified-us-data-shows-hong-kong-hacking-targets
Edward Snowden: Classified US data shows Hong Kong hacking targets
Top-secret US government records shown to Post by whistle-blower give details of computer IP addresses hacked by NSA in HK and mainland
Saturday, 15 June, 2013, 8:23pm
Members of the League of Social Democrats gather at HSBC headquarters in Central before marching to the US consulate general in support of whistle-blower Edward Snowden yesterday. Photo: Edward Wong
Classified US government data shown to the South China Morning Post by whistle-blower Edward Snowden has provided a rare insight into the effectiveness of Washington's top-secret global cyber spying programme.
New details about the data can be revealed by the Post after further analysis of information Snowden divulged during an exclusive interview on Wednesday in which the former CIA computer analyst exposed extensive hacking by the US in Hong Kong and the mainland.
The FBI said yesterday it had launched a criminal investigation and was taking "all necessary steps" to prosecute Snowden for exposing secret US surveillance programmes.
FBI Director Robert Mueller told the House Judiciary Committee: "These disclosures have caused significant harm to our nation and to our safety. We are taking all necessary steps to hold the person responsible for these disclosures," he said.
Snowden, the man behind explosive leaks of information on the US government's Prism programme that collected phone and web data from its citizens, has pledged to stay in Hong Kong to fight any attempts by his government to have him extradited.
The detailed records - which cannot be independently verified - show specific dates and the IP addresses of computers in Hong Kong and on the mainland hacked by the National Security Agency over a four-year period.
They also include information indicating whether an attack on a computer was ongoing or had been completed, along with an amount of additional operational information.
The small sample data suggests secret and illegal NSA attacks on Hong Kong computers had a success rate of more than 75 per cent, according to the documents. The information only pertains to attacks on civilian computers with no reference to Chinese military operations, Snowden said.
"I don't know what specific information they were looking for on these machines, only that using technical exploits to gain unauthorised access to civilian machines is a violation of law. It's ethically dubious," Snowden said in the interview on Wednesday.
Snowden, who came to Hong Kong on May 20 and has been in hiding since, said the data points to the frequency and nature of how NSA operatives were able to successfully hack into servers and computers, with specific reference to machines in Hong Kong and on the mainland.
According to a New York Times report yesterday, US government lawyers, working with their counterparts in Hong Kong, are understood to have identified several dozen criminal offences with which Snowden could be charged under both Hong Kong and American laws. One of the targets Snowden revealed was Chinese University, home to the Hong Kong Internet Exchange which is a central hub of servers through which all web traffic in the city passes.
A university spokeswoman said yesterday that staff had not detected any attacks to its "backbone network".
Yesterday's revelation that the US was secretly hacking computers in Hong Kong and on the mainland sent shockwaves around the world and came just days after Snowden first exposed the Prism programme to The Guardiannewspaper in Britain.
"The primary issue of public importance to Hong Kong and mainland China should be that the NSA is illegally seizing the communications of tens of millions of individuals without any individualised suspicion of wrongdoing," Snowden said. "They simply steal everything so they can search for any topics of interest."
Snowden's most recent job was as an NSA contractor with Booz Allen Hamilton but he was fired shortly after he identified himself on Sunday as the source of one of the most significant leaks in US history.
Formal charges are the first necessary step that would prompt an extradition request to the Hong Kong government.
Snowden could find himself at the centre of a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing as he has explicitly chosen to seek refuge in Hong Kong, a move that will test the Sino-US relationship. He said he had chosen Hong Kong because he believed the city's semi-autonomous status and rule of law would protect him from attempts to extradite him to the US.
It is understood that Snowden arrived in Hong Kong after leaving his home in Hawaii, telling his girlfriend that he would be away for a few weeks.
He stayed at the Mira Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui before checking out on Monday and has been in hiding since.
Snowden said he has not spoken to his family since the revelations were made and lives in constant fear for his own safety.
Hundreds of supporters of Edward Snowden march to the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong on Saturday. / Kin Cheung, AP
HONG KONG - In a show of protest against U.S. surveillance programs and in support of whistle-blower Edward Snowden, several hundred people marched Saturday to the U.S. Consulate General and the offices of the Hong Kong government despite drizzly weather.
"I think it's not acceptable for the (National Security Agency) to spy" on everyone, said Patrick Cheung, who has been upset by claims former NSA contractor Snowden made about the agency's data gathering from U.S.-based Internet firms. "It's our right to have our privacy protected."
"Shame on NSA! Defend freedom of speech!" chanted marchers, who carried signs written in Chinese and English and wrapped in plastic to keep out the rain. "Protect Snowden!"
The march, backed by five opposition parties and 22 other organizations, included the presentation of protest letters addressed to U.S. Consul General Steve Young and the head of Hong Kong's government.
"We request you to stop running these surveillance programs against innocent Internet users in Hong Kong and around the world," read the letter to Young.
Before the rally, several representatives of a pro-China political party marched to the consulate to call for an end to the alleged U.S. hacking of Hong Kong computer systems, an allegation Snowden made to a local newspaper earlier in the week after he fled to the city.
Meanwhile, half of respondents in a survey of 509 residents conducted by university researchers on behalf of the South China Morning Post said they opposed the Hong Kong government turning Snowden over to U.S. authorities, while a third of respondents said they considered the NSA whistle-blower a hero.
"We are glad Snowden is brave enough to expose all the U.S. government's evil deeds," said James Hon, who marched Saturday as a leader of the League in Defence of Hong Kong's Freedom, a group that commonly participates in anti-Hong Kong government protests. "We should let Snowden live in Hong Kong and express his views freely."
Several Hong Kong legislators addressed the rally, and others are planning to raise Snowden's allegations of U.S. hacking into Hong Kong computers with government ministers at a session Wednesday. Two legislators sent their own letter addressed to President Obama saying the NSA surveillance programs had "set a dangerous precedent and will likely be used to justify similar actions by authoritarian governments".
Back at the rally, marcher Venus Hui expressed a simple hope for the man at the center of the controversy.
"I hope Snowden can go back to the U.S. one day," he said.
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1260849/hong-kong-lawmakers-urge-obama-tread-very-carefully-snowden-case?comment-sort=recommended
Hong Kong lawmakers urge Obama to 'tread
very carefully' on Snowden case
Legco to debate Snowden case and hacking disclosures next week
Friday, 14 June, 2013 [UPDATED: 9:05PM]
They made the comments at a press conference at which they also made public a letter they have sent to Obama urging him to not allow "national security" claims to justify abuse of state power.
In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, Snowden, a 29-year-old former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, made the explosive claims that the US government had been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and on the mainland for years. He had earlier revealed that the US has been secretly collecting the phone and online data of its citizens for national security reasons.
In the 400-word letter, Claudia Mo Man-ching of the Civic Party and Gary Fan Kwok-wai of the NeoDemocrats, democratically elected members of the Legislative Council urged Obama to “tread very carefully and take into account the views of America’s democratic friends around the world.”
“President Obama probably wouldn’t want any stain ... on his political career,” said Mo.
I’m asking the United States not to even try to charge [Snowden]
Mo and Fan – members of the group Hong Kong First – stated in the letter that Snowden’s actions may be seen as similar to those of whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg, a national security analyst, who in 1971 passed to The New York Times defence documents known as the Pentagon Papers that enabled the American public to better understand the challenges the US was facing in Vietnam War.
“I’m actually asking the United States not to even try to charge [Snowden],” Mo said. “Once they’ve actually set down the charges, they would need to start extradition proceedings with the Hong Kong government, and that would trigger another round of very complicated legal arguments.”
In the first place, the personal safety of Snowden has to be protected as he said he was feeling unsafe.
The letter wrote: “While we accept that Mr Snowden may be deemed to have contravened US law, we believe he may have done liberal democracy a service by stimulating serious discussion in many countries about the extent to which surveillance is acceptable in liberal, democratic societies.”
Mo also described Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying as having “no guts and no backbone” as he has stuck to the line “I am not commenting on individual cases” whenever he has been asked to comment on the Snowden case.
Many people in the US, Hong Kong and the world might have had their privacy harmed by hacking activities
“He’d not even dare to ask Washington if Hong Kong was one of the targets hacked,” she said, adding that she suspected Leung might be waiting for orders from Beijing on what to do with Snowden.
“Many people in the US, Hong Kong and around the world might have had their privacy harmed by hacking activities... this involves an imperative moral principle,” Fan said.
The letter was to be sent via e-mail and post to the White House on Friday.
In addition to the lawmakers’ letter, numerous groups are planning a march to the US Consulate in Hong Kong to voice support for Snowden on Saturday afternoon.
Also on Friday, the Legislative Council announced it would look into issues surrounding Snowden’s disclosures at a meeting next Wednesday.
Ma Fung-kwok, who requested the meeting, said he would ask the government how it would react to any US requests related to Snowden.
“There is an urgent need to explain to the public matters concerning a possible request for the extradition of Snowden,” said Ma, who represents the sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector.
He said he would also ask if the authorities had noticed any hacking into Hong Kong’s internet network since 2009, the time at which Snowden alleges the US launched hundreds of hacking operations agains the city and the mainland.
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1259335/exclusive-whistle-blower-edward-snowden-talks-south-china-morning
EXCLUSIVE: Whistle-blower Edward Snowden talks to South China Morning Post
Ex-CIA contractor speaks to reporter from secret location in Hong Kong, revealing fresh details of US surveillance, pressure on Hong Kong, snooping and cyber attacks on China.
Thursday, 13 June, 2013, 3:31am
Edward Snowden has revealed more details of US surveillance operations
Surveillance whistle-blower Edward Snowden has spoken for the first time since blowing his own cover in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post.
The ex-CIA analyst has been holed up in secret locations in Hong Kong since fleeing Hawaii ahead of highly sensitive leaks revealing details of US top-secret phone and internet surveillance of its citizens.
Snowden's actions have been both praised and condemned globally.
But he told Post reporter Lana Lam: "I'm neither traitor nor hero. I'm an American."
Today, he reveals:
- more explosive details on US surveillance targets
- his plans for the immediate future
- the steps he claims the US has taken since he broke cover in Hong Kong
- his fears for his family
The 29-year-old was working for defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Security Agency (NSA), the biggest spy surveillance organisation in the world, when he leaked information claiming the US was systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data. Snowden fled to Hong Kong after using Britain’s Guardian newspaper to expose the agency’s PRISM program which gives officials easy access to data held by nine of the world’s top internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Skype.
People who think I made a mistake in picking HK as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality
“People who think I made a mistake in picking HK as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality,” Snowden told the Post earlier today.
He vowed to fight any extradition attempt by the US government, saying: “My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system.’’
It is believed the US is pursuing a criminal investigation, but no extradition request has yet been filed. Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the US, although analysts say any attempts to bring Mr Snowden to America may take months and could be blocked by Beijing.
His actions have been both praised and condemned globally, with some hailing him a hero while others a traitor. Some senators have accused Snowden of treason.
Meanwhile , the beat goes on as tech companies start to come clean.....
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/15/2013 10:34 -0400
Meanwhile , the beat goes on as tech companies start to come clean.....
Internet Companies Begin Revealing Extent Of Government Snooping
This Friday's night tape bomb came not from the administration, which may have run out of scandals and wars to reveal for the time being, but from FaceBook which late in the evening disclosed the extent to which it has been cooperating with the government in spying on its users. Which also changes the public narrative built upon a pyramid of lies and secrecy one more time - recall how one week ago the company tried to wash its hands one weeks ago when Mark Zuckerberg said that "Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers." Just indirect.
So in what was spun to be a rebellious act by a private company, long-cooperating secretly with the government, FaceBook's general councel posted on the company's news blogt hat the company is releasing data "including all national security requests." In doing so FB became the first US internet company to reveal the extent of official US government demands to hand over information, including confidential, about its users.
From Ted Ullyot, FB general counsel:
Over the last week, in press statements as well as Mark’s post last Friday, we’ve repeatedly called for governments worldwide to be willing to provide more details about programs aimed at keeping the public safe. We’ve also urged them to allow companies to divulge appropriate information about government orders and requests that we receive, in a manner that does not compromise legitimate security concerns.Requests from law enforcement entities investigating national security-related cases are by their nature classified and highly sensitive, and the law traditionally has placed significant constraints on the ability of companies like Facebook to even confirm or acknowledge receipt of these requests – let alone provide details of our responses.We’ve reiterated in recent days that we scrutinize every government data request that we receive – whether from state, local, federal, or foreign governments. We’ve also made clear that we aggressively protect our users’ data when confronted with such requests: we frequently reject such requests outright, or require the government to substantially scale down its requests, or simply give the government much less data than it has requested. And we respond only as required by law.But particularly in light of continued confusion and inaccurate reporting related to this issue, we’ve advocated for the ability to say even more.
Odd how the company did not advocate the ability to say more before this scandal broke out. Could it have something to do with the fact that the company is suddenly experiencing an exodus of users who have no interest in being part of a confirmed spy game?
So just what does Facebook's post-facto transparency initiative reveal?
We’re pleased that as a result of our discussions, we can now include in a transparency report all U.S. national security-related requests (including FISA as well as National Security Letters) – which until now no company has been permitted to do. As of today, the government will only authorize us to communicate about these numbers in aggregate, and as a range. This is progress, but we’re continuing to push for even more transparency, so that our users around the world can understand how infrequently we are asked to provide user data on national security grounds.For the six months ending December 31, 2012, the total number of user-data requests Facebook received from any and all government entities in the U.S. (including local, state, and federal, and including criminal and national security-related requests) – was between 9,000 and 10,000. These requests run the gamut – from things like a local sheriff trying to find a missing child, to a federal marshal tracking a fugitive, to a police department investigating an assault, to a national security official investigating a terrorist threat. The total number of Facebook user accounts for which data was requested pursuant to the entirety of those 9-10 thousand requests was between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts.
In other words FB is taking the "look how rarely we hand over all your information to the government, so you must acquit route." Oh, and ignore that we are only disclosing this tiny fraction of privacy betrayal after everyone went "hyperbolic" on us. Yes, they really used that word:
With more than 1.1 billion monthly active users worldwide, this means that a tiny fraction of one percent of our user accounts were the subject of any kind of U.S. state, local, or federal U.S. government request (including criminal and national security-related requests) in the past six months. We hope this helps put into perspective the numbers involved, and lays to rest some of the hyperbolic and false assertions in some recent press accounts about the frequency and scope of the data requests that we receive.We will continue to be vigilant in protecting our users’ data from unwarranted government requests, and we will continue to push all governments to be as transparent as possible.
One wonders why press accounts may have been hyperbolic: perhaps it has something to do with the complete cloak of secrecy that PRISM has been operating under, and the trickle of information exposing just how symbiotic private corporations have been in handing over user secrets in exchange for money or other confidential data: one massive information interchange between the ruling apparatus and a select few individuals at America's most prominent internet companies. How dare the media resort to "hyperbolic assertions" indeed.
As for Facebook's "push" for transparency, and not just in terms of its user profiles beingtransparented to the NSA, we are confident the company will continue doing so... as more information dissemination secrets are revealed, and as more lies are exposed.
Finally, with Facebook so vocally (if a little late) unleashing the "transparency movement" late on Friday, Microsoft was next... almost as if completely coordinated.
Microsoft later said that for the last six months of 2012 it received between 6,000 and 7,000 criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas and orders affecting between 31,000 and 32,000 consumer accounts,Reuters reported.
Well, thanks for stepping up guys. We are confident that even without Snowden's revelations you would have done right with your clients regardless.
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