News   /   Military

NSA helped British spies hack Juniper firewalls

NSA-GCHQ carried out mass surveillance in the US and the UK (File photo)

Leaked documents show the British spy agency enlisted the US National Security Agency (NSA) to help it hack firewalls made by the internet security provider, Juniper.

The documents leaked by the US whistle-blower and former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, shows Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) enlisted the American agency’s help to access the firewalls.

A six-page document dating back to 2011 reveals that Britain’s communication intelligence network was then looking for a partner across Atlantic in order to penetrate Juniper’s security products.     

UK spy agencies under scrutiny ever since mass surveillance revelations.

The document entitled – Assessment of Intelligence Opportunity-Juniper- was written by an NSA employee working with GCHQ. The threat comes from Juniper’s investment and emphasis on being a security leader,” it says.

According to the document, Juniper was not the market leader but its products were of utmost importance considering its application in countries such as Pakistan, India, China and Yemen which were major targets of American and British spy agencies.

The document is one of thousands classified intelligence documents leaked by Snowden in 2013, revealing the extent of spy activities by the NSA and its sister organization GCHQ.

Snowden detailed about mass spying by British, American intelligence agencies.   

Both Washington and London were in hot water over revelations that the two countries' spy networks collected phone and email data of millions of people including their leaders around the world.

Snowden fled his country to avoid espionage charges and was granted asylum in Russia, where he currently resides. Many Americans regard Snowden as a whistle-blower and a national hero for blowing the lid off the US government’s global surveillance operations.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku