National Security Agency facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Security Agency

Seal of the National Security Agency
Flag of the National Security Agency
The NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, around 1986.
Agency overview
Formed	November 4, 1952; 72 years ago (1952-11-04)
Preceding agency	Armed Forces Security Agency
Headquarters	Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S. 39°6′32″N 76°46′17″W / 39.10889°N 76.77139°W / 39.10889; -76.77139
Motto	"Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future."
Employees	Classified (est. 30,000–40,000)
Annual budget	Classified (estimated $10.8 billion, 2013)
Agency executives	General Timothy D. Haugh, USAF, Director Wendy Noble, Deputy Director
Parent agency	Department of Defense

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a special intelligence agency that works for the United States Department of Defense. Its main job is to collect and process information from around the world. This helps the U.S. government understand what other countries are doing. The NSA is very good at something called signals intelligence (SIGINT), which means they listen to electronic communications.

The NSA also protects U.S. communication networks and computer systems from attacks. Most of their work is kept secret to keep their methods safe. The NSA has about 32,000 employees.

The NSA started during World War II to break secret codes. President Harry S. Truman officially created it in 1952. For a long time, it was the biggest U.S. intelligence group. In 2013, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had a bigger budget. The NSA collects a lot of data worldwide and sometimes places listening devices in electronic systems. They are also thought to be behind powerful computer programs like Stuxnet, which harmed Iran's nuclear program. The NSA and CIA work together in many countries to gather information.

Unlike the CIA, which focuses on human spies, the NSA does not publicly gather information using people. The NSA helps other government groups with signals intelligence. They work closely with the Central Security Service (CSS) to share information. The person who leads the NSA also leads the United States Cyber Command.

The NSA has faced some disagreements. For example, they spied on people who were against the Vietnam War. In 2013, a former NSA worker named Edward Snowden shared many secret programs with the public. These documents showed that the NSA collects communications from over a billion people globally, including U.S. citizens. They also track people's movements using cellphone data.

How Did the NSA Start?

Early Days: Breaking Codes in World War I

The NSA's story began on April 28, 1917, during World War I. A special group was formed to break secret codes and messages. It was called the Cable and Telegraph Section, or the Cipher Bureau. This group helped the U.S. war effort.

Herbert O. Yardley became the head of this unit. It started with just him and two clerks. Later, it also took over the Navy's code-breaking work. After the war, this group moved to New York City and continued its intelligence work.

The Black Chamber: Peacetime Code Breaking

After World War I, the U.S. government created the Cipher Bureau in 1919. It was also known as the Black Chamber. This was the first time the U.S. had a code-breaking group during peacetime. It pretended to be a company that made codes for businesses.

But its real job was to break the secret messages of other countries, especially diplomatic ones. The Black Chamber helped American negotiators by giving them secret messages from other countries. It even convinced some telegraph companies to illegally share foreign embassy messages. However, these companies later stopped helping. In 1929, the Black Chamber was shut down.

World War II and the NSA's Creation

During World War II, a new group called the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) was formed. Its job was to intercept and break codes from the Axis powers (like Germany and Japan). After the war, the SIS became the Army Security Agency (ASA).

In 1949, all code-breaking activities were brought together under one group called the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA). This group was part of the United States Department of Defense. But the AFSA struggled to work with other government agencies like the CIA.

Because of these problems, President Harry S. Truman ordered a study. The study led to big changes, and on November 4, 1952, the AFSA was renamed the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA became responsible for all communications intelligence. Because its creation was a secret document, the public didn't know about the NSA at first. People in the intelligence community even called it "No Such Agency."

What Does the NSA Do?

The NSA's main job is to listen to electronic communications. This includes radio broadcasts, internet traffic, phone calls, and other messages. They also make sure U.S. government communications are safe and secret.

In 2010, The Washington Post reported that the NSA collects about 1.7 billion emails and phone calls every day. They sort a small part of this information into 70 different databases. The NSA is also a leader in cryptanalysis, which is the science of breaking codes.

In 2008, President Bush made the NSA the main agency for protecting all federal government computer networks from cyberattacks. The NSA also supports the Department of Defense.

How Does the NSA Operate?

The NSA's operations can be divided into three main types:

• Collecting information from overseas.
• Collecting information within the U.S.
• Hacking computers and networks.

Collecting Information Overseas

What is ECHELON?

"Echelon" was a secret system used during the Cold War. It was a way for the NSA and its partners to listen to a lot of the world's phone calls, faxes, and data traffic.

The NSA works with intelligence agencies from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This group is called the UKUSA group. They were reported to be in charge of the ECHELON system. In 1999, the BBC confirmed that Echelon was a powerful "global spying network" that could "eavesdrop on every single phone call, fax or e-mail, anywhere on the planet."

U.S. law generally stops the NSA from collecting information about U.S. citizens without special permission. However, Echelon was criticized for possibly being used for reasons other than national security, like spying on businesses.

Other Overseas Operations

The NSA collects millions of images every day to support its facial recognition program.

In 2005, during the Iraq War, the NSA started a program called the Real Time Regional Gateway. It collected all electronic communications in Iraq, stored them, and then analyzed them. This "collect it all" method helped find Iraqi insurgents. Some believe this method is now used for worldwide data collection.

The NSA also finds targets for the CIA for special operations in the Middle East. The NSA has also spied on the European Union, the United Nations, and many other governments, including allies. In 2015, WikiLeaks showed that the NSA spied on French and German companies and even German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phones.

Boundless Informant

Edward Snowden revealed in 2013 that the NSA collected billions of phone and computer data items worldwide in just one month. This was shown in charts from an NSA tool called Boundless Informant. At first, it seemed like the NSA was spying on citizens in countries like Germany, Spain, and France. But later, it became clear that European agencies collected this data during military missions and then shared it with the NSA.

Bypassing Encryption

In 2013, it was found that the NSA might have created a weakness in an encryption standard called Dual EC DRBG. This weakness could have allowed the NSA to access encrypted data. Both NIST and RSA Security now advise against using this encryption method.

Edward Snowden also said that the NSA often gets information before it's encrypted or after it's decrypted. The NSA also tracks users of privacy tools like Tor and readers of Linux Journal.

Software Backdoors

A "backdoor" is a secret way to get into a computer system. Linus Torvalds, who created the Linux operating system, joked that the NSA wanted a backdoor in Linux. Later, his father, a politician, said that the NSA actually did try to get one.

In the past, some software like IBM Notes had weaker encryption for export. This was due to U.S. laws. In 1997, Lotus made a deal with the NSA to export stronger encryption. But part of the encryption key was shared with the NSA, which meant the U.S. government could still spy on users.

Boomerang Routing

Sometimes, internet traffic that starts and ends in one country might travel through another country. This is called "boomerang routing." Research suggests that some Canadian internet traffic might go through the U.S., making it possible for the NSA to see it.

Hardware Implanting

image1 = NSA implanting station.jpg|image2 = NSA interception.jpg|caption1 = NSA workers carefully open intercepted packages.|caption2 = A "load station" used to implant a tracking device. The NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group can get access to computer hardware. They intercept routers, servers, and other network equipment being shipped to targets. They then install secret software onto these devices before they are delivered. This gives the NSA a way to access these networks later.

Computers seized by the NSA can be modified with a device called Cottonmouth. This device can be plugged into a USB port to get remote access to the computer. It allows the NSA to install other software and control the device.

Collecting Information in the U.S.

The NSA's main job is to collect "foreign intelligence." They are not supposed to collect information about U.S. citizens' activities. The NSA says it relies on the FBI for information within the U.S. and only operates within the U.S. at foreign embassies.

U.S. law, especially the Fourth Amendment, limits the NSA's domestic surveillance. This amendment protects people from unreasonable searches. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) oversees these limits. However, these protections don't apply to non-U.S. citizens outside the U.S.

President's Surveillance Program

After the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush approved the Patriot Act. This act allowed for new security measures, including some taken by the NSA. Some officials worried if these programs were constitutional. Despite concerns, the NSA's programs continued, including mass surveillance of internet and phone records.

One program, called Highlander Project, collected phone conversations of U.S. citizens. Supporters of these programs argued that the President had the power to order such actions.

The PRISM Program

The PRISM program, which started in 2007, collects internet communications from foreign targets. It gets data from major U.S. internet companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and Apple. This data includes emails, videos, photos, and chats.

Some former NSA officials claimed that PRISM helped prevent terrorist attacks. However, these claims have been questioned, and no clear evidence has been shown.

Hacking Operations

Besides listening to communications, the NSA also hacks computers, smartphones, and networks. The Tailored Access Operations (TAO) division is responsible for these hacking operations. They have been active since at least 1998.

According to Foreign Policy magazine, TAO has successfully entered Chinese computer systems for many years. This has provided important intelligence about China. Edward Snowden said that TAO accidentally caused Syria's internet blackout in 2012.

How is the NSA Organized?

The NSA is led by the Director of the National Security Agency (DIRNSA). This person is also the head of the Central Security Service (CSS) and the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM). The Director is the highest-ranking military official in these groups. A Deputy Director, who is a civilian, helps the Director.

The NSA also has an Inspector General, a General Counsel, and a Director of Compliance. Unlike other intelligence groups, the NSA keeps its internal structure very secret.

In the mid-1990s, the NSA had five main Directorates:

• The Operations Directorate: collected and processed signals intelligence.
• The Technology and Systems Directorate: developed new technologies.
• The Information Systems Security Directorate: handled NSA's communication and information security.
• The Plans, Policy and Programs Directorate: provided support and direction.
• The Support Services Directorate: handled logistics and administration.

Each Directorate had groups for different regions or tasks.

NSANet: The NSA's Secret Network

NSANet is the NSA's official internal computer network. It is a highly classified network used for sharing top-secret intelligence. It connects the NSA with the intelligence agencies of the other Five Eyes countries (UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand).

NSANet is a very secure network, mostly separate from the public internet. It uses fiber-optic cables and satellites. NSA employees around the world can access the agency's systems and databases through NSANet. Access is strictly controlled, and every action is recorded.

In 1998, NSANet had problems with searching and organizing data. In 2004, it used over twenty different operating systems. Some universities doing sensitive research are allowed to connect to it.

The thousands of secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2013 were stored on NSANet. Anyone with the right security clearance could read them.

Watch Centers

The NSA has at least two main watch centers:

• National Security Operations Center (NSOC): This is the NSA's main operations center. It handles urgent signals intelligence reports. It was set up in 1968.
• NSA/CSS Threat Operations Center (NTOC): This center works with the United States Department of Homeland Security to respond to cyber incidents. It helps predict and identify cyberattacks.

NSA Police

The NSA has its own police force, called the NSA Police. They provide law enforcement, emergency response, and physical security for NSA buildings and people. NSA Police officers are armed federal officers. They also have a K9 (dog) division that checks for explosives.

NSA Employees

The exact number of NSA employees is secret. Estimates have varied over the years. In 1961, the NSA had 59,000 employees. By 1969, it grew to over 93,000. In 2012, the NSA said more than 30,000 employees worked at Fort Meade and other locations. Some estimates say the NSA has 40,000 employees. It is known as one of the largest employers of mathematicians in the world.

About 1,000 computer system administrators work for the NSA.

Employee Security

The NSA has faced criticism for security issues. In 1960, two agents went to the Soviet Union. This led to stricter security rules. But problems still happened, like in 1963 when a former employee shared secrets.

After Edward Snowden leaked documents in 2013, the NSA started a "two-man rule." This means two system administrators must be present when accessing sensitive information. Snowden had suggested such a rule in 2009.

Polygraph Tests

The NSA uses polygraph (lie detector) tests for employees. For new hires, these tests help find spies or uncover information that could be used to pressure someone. The NSA also does regular polygraph tests every five years to check for spies and leakers. If an employee refuses a test, they might lose their job.

Special polygraph tests are given to employees who want to work in very sensitive areas. These tests cover counterintelligence and behavior questions. The NSA says its tests usually last two to four hours.

NSA Locations

Headquarters: Fort Meade, Maryland

History of the Headquarters

When the NSA first started, its main offices were in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Because of the Cold War and crowded offices, the government wanted to move some agencies. Fort Meade, Maryland, was chosen for the NSA. It was far enough from Washington, D.C., in case of a nuclear attack, but close enough for employees not to move their families.

New buildings were added as the agency grew. In 1963, a new nine-story headquarters building opened. NSA workers called it the "Headquarters Building." In 1986, two more large, copper-shielded buildings opened. These four buildings became known as the "Big Four."

The NSA headquarters is located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. It's about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Baltimore and 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Washington, D.C. The NSA has two special exits off the Baltimore–Washington Parkway. One is for employees only and is guarded.

The NSA is the largest employer in Maryland, with two-thirds of its staff working at Fort Meade. The site covers 350 acres (140 ha) and has 1,300 buildings and about 18,000 parking spaces.

The main NSA building is a large, modern structure with dark, one-way glass. It's lined with copper to prevent spying by keeping signals inside. The building has over 3 million square feet (278,709 sq m) of floor space. It's so big that the United States Capitol could fit inside it four times over.

The facility has over 100 security checkpoints. The visitor control center is a two-story area where visitors get badges and employee clearances are checked. The NSA headquarters also has a cafeteria, a credit union, a barbershop, and its own post office, fire department, and police force.

NSA employees live in various places around the Baltimore-Washington area. The NSA provides a shuttle service from the Odenton train station to its visitor center.

Power Use

Because of the massive amount of computer equipment, the NSA uses a huge amount of electricity. In 2007, the NSA bought as much electricity as the entire city of Annapolis, Maryland.

A new High Performance Computing Center 2, called Site M, is being built at Fort Meade. It will have a 150-megawatt power substation and cover 227 acres (92 ha). It cost $3.2 billion and will initially use 60 megawatts of electricity.

Computers at the NSA

In 1995, it was reported that the NSA owned the largest group of supercomputers. The new High Performance Computing Center 2 is expected to open in 2016.

Other U.S. Facilities

As of 2012, the NSA collected intelligence from four satellites. They had satellite receivers in Pennsylvania and California. The NSA also had installations in several U.S. states, observing communications from Europe, the Middle East, and other regions.

The NSA has facilities at Friendship Annex in Maryland, the Aerospace Data Facility in Colorado, NSA Texas, NSA Georgia, NSA Hawaii, and the Multiprogram Research Facility in Tennessee.

In 2011, construction began on the "Utah Data Center." This $1.5 billion data center is being built in Utah and is expected to be operational by September 2013. It will help support the agency's cybersecurity efforts. Construction finished in May 2019.

Some older NSA bases, like the Yakima Research Station in Washington state and Sugar Grove in West Virginia, are being closed or moved.

International Stations

After the UKUSA Agreement was signed, NSA stations were built in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The NSA operates RAF Menwith Hill in the United Kingdom. In 2007, BBC News called it the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. It covers 562 acres (227 ha).

The NSA's European Cryptologic Center (ECC) is in Germany. In 2011, it had 240 employees and focused on operations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and counterterrorism. A new intelligence center is also being built in Germany for the NSA.

Thailand

Thailand is a "3rd party partner" of the NSA. This means they have security agreements to share intelligence.

Thailand has at least two U.S. intelligence stations. One is at the US Embassy in Bangkok, which is a joint NSA-CIA unit. It likely listens to foreign embassies and government communications.

The second station is a satellite interception station in Khon Kaen, Thailand. It is called INDRA. This station has large antennas to intercept satellite communications. It was activated in 1979 to listen to Chinese military communications. The base was later upgraded to spy on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

The Khon Kaen base was reactivated and expanded after 2001 to include satellite interception. Most of the work there is done by civilian contractors.

Research and Development

The NSA has been involved in public policy debates, especially about the export of cryptography in the United States. In the 1990s, rules on exporting strong encryption were eased.

The NSA has worked on designing special computer hardware and software, making computer chips, and advanced cryptography research. For 50 years, the NSA built most of its computer equipment itself. But from the 1990s, it started working with private companies for research and equipment.

Data Encryption Standard (DES)

The NSA was involved in creating the Data Encryption Standard (DES). This was a public encryption method used by the U.S. government and banks. The NSA suggested changes to the design. Some people worried these changes made the encryption weaker, allowing the NSA to listen in. However, it was later found that the changes made DES stronger against certain attacks.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

The NSA's role in choosing the successor to DES, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), was mainly to test its performance. The NSA has approved AES for protecting classified information.

NSA Encryption Systems

The NSA is responsible for encryption in many systems. Some older systems include the KL-7 and KW-26 machines. Modern systems include the EKMS (Electronic Key Management System) and STE secure phones.

The NSA has also created Suite A and Suite B cryptographic algorithms. Suite B algorithms are public and used for most information. Suite A algorithms are secret and used for very high levels of protection.

SHA Hash Functions

The widely used SHA-1 and SHA-2 hash functions were designed by the NSA. A hash function creates a short code from a longer message. SHA-1 was a small change to an earlier, weaker algorithm. Because of weaknesses, SHA-1 is no longer recommended for digital signatures.

A new hash standard, SHA-3, was chosen in 2012. Some changes were made to the chosen algorithm, which raised some questions about its security.

Clipper Chip

In 1993, the NSA proposed the Clipper chip. This chip would offer strong encryption but would also allow law enforcement to access encrypted data if needed. This idea was very unpopular and was not adopted. However, the NSA's Fortezza encryption cards, created for this project, are still used by the government.

Dual EC DRBG Random Number Generator

The NSA promoted a random number generator called Dual EC DRBG in 2007. There was speculation that this generator had a "backdoor" that would allow the NSA to access encrypted data. This is now considered possible. Both NIST and RSA Security now recommend against using this generator.

Perfect Citizen

Perfect Citizen is an NSA program to check for weaknesses in U.S. critical infrastructure (like power grids and water systems). It was reported to be a system of sensors to detect cyberattacks.

Academic Research

The NSA has invested millions of dollars in academic research on cryptography. Sometimes, the NSA has tried to limit the publication of this research. In 2013, the NSA released a research paper called "Untangling the Web: A Guide to Internet Research," which helps NSA workers find information on the public internet.

Patents

The NSA can file for secret patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. These patents are not made public and do not expire. If someone else tries to patent the same idea, the NSA's patent is revealed and granted to them.

One NSA patent describes a way to find the location of a computer on the internet based on how long it takes for signals to travel. The NSA is also said to use a similar technology to track people's locations using cellphone towers.

NSA Symbols and Memorials

The NSA's symbol shows an eagle holding a key in its talons. The eagle represents the agency's national mission. The shield on its chest has red and white stripes from the Great Seal of the United States. The key represents security.

The NSA adopted its current symbol in 1965. The NSA's flag has this symbol on a light blue background.

Some NSA missions have been dangerous. The USS Liberty incident in 1967 and the USS Pueblo incident in 1968 were examples of losses during the Cold War.

The National Security Agency/Central Security Service Cryptologic Memorial honors the military and civilian personnel who died during these intelligence missions. It is made of black granite and has 171 names carved into it. It is located at NSA headquarters.

Legality and Privacy Concerns

Since 2001, there have been legal debates about what the NSA can do with intelligence and how much freedom it has. In 2015, the government changed how it collects phone records. In September 2020, a court ruled that the NSA's surveillance program was unlawful.

Warrantless Wiretaps

In 2005, The New York Times reported that the NSA had been tapping phone calls made to people outside the U.S. without getting warrants. This was done under pressure from the White House to fight terrorism.

Edward Snowden's Revelations

Edward Snowden is a former U.S. intelligence contractor. In 2013, he revealed secret information-gathering programs by the NSA. Snowden showed that the U.S. government was collecting huge amounts of personal communications, emails, phone locations, and web histories from American citizens without their knowledge.

Snowden said he released this information because he feared a "surveillance state" where the government knows everything about everyone. He believed this was a greater threat to freedom than missing intelligence reports.

Some officials said that most of the documents Snowden took were about military capabilities, not domestic spying. It's estimated that Snowden downloaded over a million documents.

Other Surveillance Programs

In 2006, a lawsuit was filed against the NSA for spying on people within the U.S. without warrants. A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the NSA's warrantless surveillance program was illegal and unconstitutional.

In 2008, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against the NSA, claiming illegal surveillance. This was based on information from a former AT&T technician, Mark Klein.

In June 2015, the USA Freedom Act was passed. This law made the NSA shut down its bulk phone surveillance program. The NSA can no longer collect phone metadata in bulk unless it has a warrant for a terrorism investigation. Even then, the data is stored by telecom companies, not the NSA. This change does not affect other NSA methods, like collecting data directly from the internet.

Under the Upstream collection program, the NSA paid telecom companies to collect data. While companies like Google and Yahoo! say they don't give "direct access" to their servers without a court order, the NSA had access to emails and phone calls.

Data Mining

In 2008, it was reported that the NSA used its powerful computers to analyze "transactional" data from other government agencies.

Studies have questioned how effective mass metadata collection is in preventing terrorist attacks. One report found that the NSA's programs had "no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism."

However, supporters say that metadata helps "connect the dots" between suspicious foreign numbers and domestic numbers. For example, after the Boston Marathon bombing, metadata analysis helped determine that rumors of another attack were false.

Many people argue that collecting metadata is an invasion of privacy. A U.S. District Judge, Richard J. Leon, said in 2013 that such a program "infringes on 'that degree of privacy' that the founders enshrined in the Fourth Amendment."

In May 2015, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the NSA's bulk phone record collection was illegal under the Patriot Act. This ruling led to the USA Freedom Act.

Fourth Amendment Concerns

A declassified document showed that over 17,000 phone lines were improperly monitored by the NSA between 2006 and 2009. The NSA tracks the locations of hundreds of millions of cellphones daily, allowing it to map people's movements.

The NSA has access to communications from Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and other companies. It also collects contact lists from emails. The NSA has also tried to weaken internet encryption, making it vulnerable to attacks.

Domestically, the NSA collects and stores phone call metadata and intercepts large amounts of internet communications. The government argued that all U.S. communications could be "relevant" to a terrorism investigation. The NSA also shares foreign intelligence with agencies like the DEA and IRS, who then "recreate" the investigative trail.

The NSA has also spied on influential Muslims who are not suspected of crimes but hold views deemed "radical." A 2014 report said that 90% of those under surveillance in the U.S. are ordinary Americans, not targets.

Congressional Oversight

The Intelligence Committees in the U.S. House and Senate oversee the NSA. Other members of Congress have been denied access to information about the agency. The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which regulates the NSA, has said it cannot fully check if the NSA follows its own rules.

It has been reported that the NSA violated its own data access rules thousands of times a year. Some NSA officers even used data to spy on people they were interested in. Most violations were reported by the NSA itself, and led to job termination.

A 2009 court opinion stated that rules for data queries had been "frequently and systemically violated." In 2011, the court noted that the NSA's internet intercepts were "fundamentally different from what the court had been led to believe."

Legal opinions on the NSA's bulk collection program have differed. In December 2013, Judge Richard Leon said the program likely violates the Constitution. Later that month, Judge William Pauley ruled that the collection of phone records was legal and helpful in fighting terrorism.

Official Responses

In March 2013, Senator Ron Wyden asked Director of National Intelligence James Clapper if the NSA collected data on millions of Americans. Clapper replied, "No, sir. ... Not wittingly." This statement was questioned when details of the PRISM program were revealed. Clapper later said he responded "in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful manner."

Edward Snowden also revealed XKeyscore, a secret NSA program that allows the agency to search vast databases of internet activity, including emails and browser history.

NSA Director General Keith Alexander claimed that the NSA's programs helped prevent 54 terrorist "events." However, NSA Deputy Director John Inglis later admitted that these intercepts were not "vital" in stopping attacks, but were "close" to vital in identifying and convicting four men for sending money to a militant group.

The U.S. government has tried to dismiss lawsuits against its surveillance programs. The U.S. military has also blocked access to The Guardian website for defense personnel after Snowden's leaks. A 2014 United Nations report said mass surveillance violates international privacy rights.

Responsibility for Ransomware Attack

An exploit called EternalBlue, created by the NSA, was used in the worldwide WannaCry ransomware attack in May 2017. This exploit was leaked online by a hacking group. Many experts blamed the NSA for not revealing the vulnerability and for losing control of the attack tool. Edward Snowden said that if the NSA had told Microsoft about the flaw when they found it, the attack might not have happened.

Activities of Former Employees

Some former NSA employees and contractors have left the agency to start their own companies. They then work for other countries, sometimes even those involved in cyberattacks against the U.S. For example, a former NSA employee worked for a U.S. defense contractor in the United Arab Emirates and was tasked with hacking Qatar. He quit after learning his team hacked a Qatari Sheikha's emails.

2021 Denmark-NSA Collaboration

In May 2021, it was reported that the Danish Defence Intelligence Service worked with the NSA to wiretap other EU members and leaders. This caused strong reactions from EU countries.

Images for kids

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  NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland.

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  The National Security Operations Center (NSOC).