From 2009 to 2013 the communication channels the CIA uses to contact assets in foreign countries was compromised. This had terrifying consequences. Guests this episodes are Jenna McLaughlin and Zach Dorfman. Sponsors This episode was sponsored by IT Pro TV. Get 65 hours of free training by visiting ITPro.tv/darknet. And use promo code DARKNET25. This episode was sponsored by Thinkst Canary. Their canaries attract malicious actors in your network and then send you an alert if someone tries to access them. Great early warning system for knowing when someone is snooping around where they shouldn’t be. Check them out at https://canary.tools. View all active sponsors. Sources https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cias-communications-suffered-catastrophic-compromise-started-iran-090018710.html Video: Fostering Bipartisanship in Intelligence Oversight CNAS2019 https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article28348576.html https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/15/botched-cia-communications-system-helped-blow-cover-chinese-agents-intelligence/ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/asia/china-cia-spies-espionage.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/world/asia/jerry-lee-cia-china-mole-hunt-suspect.html https://news.yahoo.com/cia-fix-communications-system-left-trail-dead-agents-remains-elusive-100046908.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/03/21/cuban-defector-impeaches-cia-spies/10cec17c-076b-4867-96c5-628b8435a852/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrich_Ames Attribution Darknet Diaries is created by Jack Rhysider. Research assistance this episode from Yael Grauer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aldrich Ames, a former CIA agent, was discovered to be giving sensitive information to the Russians which led to the capture and killing of CIA agents. He was sentenced to life in prison.
The conversation discusses the use of covert communications and the value of meeting with sources. It also mentions mole hunts as a way to discover who has leaked information to authorities.
A double agent within the CIA provided Iran's intelligence officers with information on a secret website used by the CIA for covert communications, potentially exposing an entire network of CIA officers to surveillance.
The U.S. started sharing counterintelligence information with foreign countries, but the Iranians may have passed that information to their Chinese counterparts who used it to identify and hunt down all US intelligence assets within China, according to former HPSE chair Mike Rogers.
The reliance on unsecured technology by the CIA for communication with sources highlights a lack of security and encryption. The technology failure has exposed the agency and jeopardized its operations.
This episode of Darknet Diaries explores the story of a group of anonymous hackers that attempted to steal $1.35 billion from a Lebanese bank, by targeting a software the bank used on their website, which had an exploitable vulnerability.