On June 5, 2003, I was contacted by The Snowman.
>Knock knock
>Who’s there?
>Snowman
>What do you want?
>To meet
>Is this line secure?
>Yes
>Meet when?
>Now
>Why?
>You need help
>How do I know I can trust you?
>Because, Mr Blue, if you couldn’t, the police would be kicking down your door right now.
Long pause.
>Ok. Where to?
>Go to this address. Bring your comm. I’ll provide another location when you get there. Hurry!!
Smokey room.
"How did you know who I was?’
I didn’t, at least I wasn’t certain till you made it to the phone booth. I’ve got a few cams there.
"I don’t understand."
"I caught you. I mean, I saw you going through the Bonsanto files. But you are looking in the wrong direction. He took another drag of his cigarette. He wasn’t visibly nervous or excited. But he wasn’t exactly relaxed either.”
"Ok so".
"I’m an American, working here in Europa. I work for Bonsanto...as an infrastructure analyst."
"Yes, I know".
"Bonsanto is a contractor for the NSA."
"Yeah, I kinda knew that."
"The NSA has been collecting every email, every phone call, every shit, every person in Amerika, Europa and Russia has taken for the past 5 years. Not just terrorists, everybody, even the President of Europa."
"Uh Huh. That's pretty much what every conspiracy nut has been saying for years.
"You know: Collect it All, Process it All, Exploit it All, Partner it All, Sniff it All and Know it All."
"It’s not like that" said Kevin, flicking some ash into the ashtray and missing. He wiped the ash off the keyboard with his sleeve, making a worse mess. “The whole thing is court approved in secret.”
“What?”
“It’s called PRISM, they’ve got direct access to Americans' Google and Yahoo accounts.. And it’s all considered legal and above board. They’ve got a call database, boundless informant, and a secret court order requiring Verizon to hand the NSA millions of Americans' phone records daily, the surveillance of French citizens' phone and internet records, and those of high-profile individuals from the world of business or politics.”
“|And it’s not just PRISM, they’ve got the brits doing the same with Tempora. Tempera is a British black-ops surveillance program run by the NSA's British partner, GCHQ. Of course, what the brits don’t know is that elsewhere there spying on the bits too.”
“But that’s the legit stuff. Secret, but legit. Meanwhile, we built XKeyscore, an analytical tool that allows for collection of almost anything done on the internet. I, sitting at my desk, could wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal email. I’m telling you man this is like shit you’ve never dreamed of.”
He opened up several cabinet drawers pulling folders of printed materials, maps and photos.
The NSA is harvesting millions of email and instant messaging contact lists, searching email content, tracking and mapping the location of cell phones, undermining any attempt at encryption via Bullrun. The agency is using cookies to "piggyback" on the same tools used by internet advertisers to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.’
“How can I know this is genuine? Look at this shit. Do you think I made all this up? There are thousands of documents here. Look at this one:”
Blue read it aloud “Yahoo, Google. Ferfuk said they were "secretly" tapping into Yahoo and Google data centres to collect information from hundreds of millions of account holders worldwide by tapping undersea cables using the MUSCULAR surveillance program."
"The NSA, the CIA and the GCHQ are spying on users of Second Life, Xbox Live and World of Warcraft, and The eclecticMemeConnection to recruit would-be informants. You couldn’t make this shit up”. said the Snowman, "Look man I was there. They even spy on their own "love interests," they call it LOVEINT. Or tracking the online sexual activity of people they termed radicalizers in order to discredit them.
Look here this is "Black Pearl", a program targeting private networks, targeted, among others, oil giant Petrobras, Brazil's largest company and charities including UNICEF and Médecins du Monde, as well as allies such as the EU chief and the Israeli Prime Minister.
They have plans to infect millions of computers with malware using a program called "Turbine." Revelations included information about "QUANTUMHAND," a program through which the NSA set up a fake Facebook server to intercept connections.
I’ve examined documents including emails, message texts, and online accounts,
But this is Mindfuck: a cyberwarfare program in the works, codenamed MonsterMind. The program would "automate the process of hunting for the beginnings of a foreign cyberattack". The software would constantly look for traffic patterns indicating known or suspected attacks. What sets MonsterMind apart was that it would add a "unique new capability: instead of simply detecting and killing the malware at the point of entry, MonsterMind would automatically fire back, with no human involvement".
Often initial attacks are routed through computers in innocent third countries.” says the Snowman. "These attacks can be spoofed. You could have someone sitting in China, for example, making it appear that one of these attacks is originating in Russia. And then we end up shooting back at a Russian hospital. What happens next?"
“What’s this file here? Top Secret - Project FWLUTTLMIFAWON.”
"Dunno, the file is corrupted."
"We need that file"
"Why, look at the shit I‘ve shown you"
"Yeah and with each step it gets fucking shittier and that file is the last step. We need that file.”
"You’ll have to go back."
“Shit.”
"I’m going to talk to a reporter. We’ll need a plan. This stuff will need to be staggered worldwide. You can’t be seen to choose sides. We need to find as many sympathetic reporters and papers as possible. We’ll need to contact all the underground zines too.
You go back to the office and get that file. I’ll contact you.”
Blue knocks on the door of Charles Chandler, ace reporter and foreign correspondent for the New York Times. A tall, dark-haired man opens the door.
“Hi Blue”, he says cheerfully.
“Hi Charlie, mind if I come in? I know it’s late but I didn’t want to use the phone." says Blue.
“Sure, come in. You've met Chuck, my son and Peggy, my wife. Say hi, Chuck."
Chuck was a short, weedy, awkward boy, too young for spots. It’s gonna get worse for you kid though Blue, And ginger hair too, you haven’t got a chance.
“So what’s up? You got something for me?", asked the American.
"Maybe," said Blue.
Blue’s main income, beyond fixing the odd computer, was speed reading through hundreds of online documents on usenet, in forums and in underground communities, looking for the bits of information that had value. Most of them he sold to people like Charles Chandler, the rest he’d distribute amongst the various underground outlets using hundreds of personas.
"Let’s just imagine I’ve got the biggest scoop of the century and all our lives are in danger until this shit gets published. What would you say?"
"Then we better get it published fast. What have you got?"
"NSA got unlimited access to anything online, inside America and out. Phone calls, text messages, emails - anything they can get their hands on. From Joe Soap to the President of Europa.”
"She’ll be pissed"
"No shit. They’re building an automated cyber-weapon. It's just fuct." He sat at the lounge table and opened his laptop.
"You got proof. It's on its way".
"And the source?"
"We gotta get him out of the country and fast".
"Where?"
“You don’t need to know that.”
“Yep, Good. I need to see the documents. Can I interview your source?”
“I’ll sort out time and place”.
"Coffee", interrupts Margaret. She bends to pour the coffee offering a respectable but classy view of her cleavage.
"How did you find this guy?" asks Chandler.
"I didn't. He found me" answers Blue. "I was going through the Bonsanto servers looking for stuff on Iron Jaw."
"Oh yeah? How are you doing on with that case? He’s a fucking nutjob," adds Chandler, helping himself to a steaming mug of black coffee.
"I got the link between him and the CEO. But apparently, I got caught by our friend the Snowman. Speaking of such..." he opened the Iron Jaw CEO link. "Shit...They're onto him. Iron Jaw has been activated and has been ordered to stop Snowman."
Blue contacts Snowman.
"This is a secure line. Where are you?"
"I’m in the building. I’m accessing the file now."
"Good, don’t go home. Iron Jaw is after you"
"Who?"
"Nevermind who. Enough to say it’s bad news, you don't wanna see this…"
"Too late! He’s in the building. I’ve got a patch into the security system."
“Get out of there now.”
"One sec - almost there."
"Now!"
Alarm bells
"Shit!"
"Run"
Blue runs out of Chandler’s house. “I’ll get Snowman and the files. You get that fucking printing press - or whatever you guys do - ready. Snowman, are you still there?"
"Yep. I’m on the stairs. I’m heading for the car park."
"Snowman. Snowman? Hang tight. I’m on my way"
Motorbike to car park.
Iron Jaw shoots at the whistleblower as he hops onto the back of the bike.
He barely escapes.
Car Chase. Loads of cardboard boxes and people suddenly selling fruit on carts.
Iron Jaw crashes.
"Shit, now they’ll be looking for you."
"We need to get my passport. Get on the highway", says Snowman
Copies 9 files to Chandler. I’ll keep this file. I know someone who can decrypt it.
They arrive at a fake passport place.
“It’s ok he’s with me”, says Snowman
“We need to get you on a plane now.”
Get to the airport.
Watch customs?
His laptop was compromised.
"Shit that means they know about Chandler".
Rush to Chandlers house
Chandler and wife are dead.
Chuck is lying in a pool of blood.
Calls 911. “Get an ambulance to Teleport Boulevard. There’s been a shooting.” He disconnects and turns to the young boy, “Hang in there kid."