The trade war between the United States and China was about to wipe out Huawei. The United States accused Huawei, without evidence, of spying through their products for 5G networks. Well, now it has been discovered that the CIA was spying on the encrypted communications of most governments. How did they do it? Through Crypto AG, founded after the Second World War.
Crypto AG developed 'stealth' encryption machines to prevent enemies from decrypting information. The company moved from encrypted radio communication to microchips and now software. This company is based in Switzerland and has sold equipment to more than 120 countries around the world. Some examples are Iran, paramilitaries from Latin America, the Vatican and countries considered enemies by the United States such as India or Pakistan.
No products found.
Espionage scandal starring the CIA
What no one knew is that the CIA was behind the company since the founding of West Germany. All systems would have a modification created by the CIA that made security weak and allowed encrypted messages to be intercepted. Information revealed by The Washington Post and ZDF, through a document to which these media have had access.
Initially this operation was called Thesaurus, but later it was renamed Rubicon. This document closes by saying that it is the "intelligence coup of the century." This is because they weren't just paying the United States and West Germany for expensive products that were easily decipherable by them.
It seems that since 1970 the CIA and the NSA have had control of the company, hiring them by hand. They would also have sabotaged and manipulated algorithms and targeting sales as needed. Then they just had to glue the ear.
This would have allowed them to have first-hand information about the crisis in Iran in 1979, the Balkan war and even terrorist attacks. Interestingly, Russia and China did not use these devices because they suspected that Crypto AG had secret deals with West Germany. The only ones who smelled part of the toast.
The BND, a German spy agency, ceased operation in the early 90s, with the CIA buying its share. From that moment the US agency took full control of the company.
Crypto AG was decommissioned in 2018
Crypto AG was estimated to be responsible for 40% of diplomatic communications from foreign governments. This allowed the company and therefore the CIA to gather a brutal amount of information. All this while selling encryption machines that cost millions and had shitty security (speaking in silver)
Despite the fact that the company was decommissioned in 2018, some countries still use its tools. The dismantling could have to do with the possibility of accessing private conversations by other means, such as WhatsApp.
The company was sold in parts. One part was left to CyOne Security, which supplies security systems to the Swiss government. On the other hand we have Crypto International, which preserves the international brand and business.
These two companies have had to release statements to indicate that they do not carry out espionage activities. Switzerland does not trust this and has begun to investigate the relationships of these companies and their security. Crypto International has lost the license issued by Switzerland for the sale of products. Quite a fanfare, since Switzerland knew perfectly the activity that Crypto AG carried out.
Crypto AG has allowed the United States to manipulate the socio-political space at will, even gaining an advantage during the Cold War. What is not known is what information the United States had and whether it could have prevented some major genocides, attacks, or human rights violations.
To top it off, the Director of the NSA goes between the late 70s and early 80s and says that he has no regrets, since "it was a very important source of information." Go eggs.
In the end, they have managed to ensure that if China carries out espionage, it remains a mere joke. The question is, what do we do now?
