The NSA's New Code Breakers

There was a time when the code breakers of the National Security Agency actually took the lead in solving enemy encryption systems. In today's NSA, it's hackers, break-in artists, corporate liaisons, and shadow salesman using front companies who are at the forefront of this effort. Even so-called "hacktivists" play an unwitting role in helping the NSA gain access to computer networks -- both hostile and friendly.

Just about the only place that's somewhat immune to the NSA's new style of code-breaking attacks? North Korea, because it's so disconnected from the rest of the world's networks. Former US intelligence officials confirm that the more than 1,500 cryptanalysts, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and computer technicians who comprise NSA's elite cryptanalytic unit, the Office of Cryptanalysis and Exploitation Services (S31), have had a remarkably large number of code-breaking successes against foreign targets since the 9/11 attacks. The NSA today has more supercomputers than ever, and the agency still employs a number of puzzle-solvers, linguists, and math geeks. Interviews with current and former intelligence officials conducted recently have revealed that since 9/11, the NSA's computer scientists, electronic engineers, software programmers, and collection specialists have been remarkably inventive in finding new and innovative ways to circumvent the protections supposedly offered by encryption systems by compromising them through clandestine means, such as inserting “back doors” into commercially available technologies.