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| NSA employee implicated in Snowden probe resigned, memo says | NSA employee implicated in Snowden probe resigned, memo says |
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| A National Security Agency employee has resigned from his job after admitting to FBI investigators that he allowed Edward Snowden, then an NSA contractor, to use his personal computer credentials to gain access to classified information, according to an agency memo. | A National Security Agency employee has resigned from his job after admitting to FBI investigators that he allowed Edward Snowden, then an NSA contractor, to use his personal computer credentials to gain access to classified information, according to an agency memo. |
| The unidentified employee was not aware that Snowden intended to use the password to obtain classified material for the purposes of disclosure, said the memo, which was first reported by NBC News. | The unidentified employee was not aware that Snowden intended to use the password to obtain classified material for the purposes of disclosure, said the memo, which was first reported by NBC News. |
| The employee is one of three individuals who have been under investigation for their unwitting involvement in Snowden’s effort to remove the material in what may well be the largest breach of classified information in history. | The employee is one of three individuals who have been under investigation for their unwitting involvement in Snowden’s effort to remove the material in what may well be the largest breach of classified information in history. |
| None was accused of collusion, a senior U.S. official familiar with the investigation said. “It’s a violation of procedures . . . but no ‘Hey, let’s conspire with him to steal information,’ ” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. | None was accused of collusion, a senior U.S. official familiar with the investigation said. “It’s a violation of procedures . . . but no ‘Hey, let’s conspire with him to steal information,’ ” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. |
| The employee who resigned, a civilian, had his security clearance revoked in November and was notified of a proposal to fire him. He resigned Jan. 10, said the memo, which was addressed to staff members on the House Judiciary Committee. | The employee who resigned, a civilian, had his security clearance revoked in November and was notified of a proposal to fire him. He resigned Jan. 10, said the memo, which was addressed to staff members on the House Judiciary Committee. |
| The other two individuals, a U.S. military service member and a contractor, had their access to NSA facilities and material revoked in August, the memo said. They all worked at a regional NSA facility in Hawaii, where Snowden was a contract employee for Dell and later Booz Allen Hamilton, officials said. | |
| The resignation appears to be the first personnel action to result from the breach. Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, shared large amounts of intelligence material with several journalists. Their stories began appearing last June and have stirred national and international debate over the proper scope of NSA surveillance. | The resignation appears to be the first personnel action to result from the breach. Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, shared large amounts of intelligence material with several journalists. Their stories began appearing last June and have stirred national and international debate over the proper scope of NSA surveillance. |
| A Reuters report last fall said that “a handful of agency employees” had given their log-in credentials to Snowden and were removed from their assignments. Snowden, the report said, “may have persuaded between 20 and 25 fellow workers” to give him their log-ins and passwords by telling them they were needed for him to do his job as a computer systems administrator. | A Reuters report last fall said that “a handful of agency employees” had given their log-in credentials to Snowden and were removed from their assignments. Snowden, the report said, “may have persuaded between 20 and 25 fellow workers” to give him their log-ins and passwords by telling them they were needed for him to do his job as a computer systems administrator. |
| In a Google chat last month, Snowden disputed the report and said, “I never stole any passwords, nor did I trick an army of co-workers.” | In a Google chat last month, Snowden disputed the report and said, “I never stole any passwords, nor did I trick an army of co-workers.” |
| According to the memo, written by the NSA’s legislative affairs director, Ethan Bauman, the civilian allowed Snowden to use his public key infrastructure (PKI) certificate to gain access to classified information on NSANet, the agency’s intranet, “access that he knew had been denied to Mr. Snowden.” PKI is a system of identity credentials designed to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive computer networks. | According to the memo, written by the NSA’s legislative affairs director, Ethan Bauman, the civilian allowed Snowden to use his public key infrastructure (PKI) certificate to gain access to classified information on NSANet, the agency’s intranet, “access that he knew had been denied to Mr. Snowden.” PKI is a system of identity credentials designed to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive computer networks. |
| The memo stated: “Further, at Mr. Snowden’s request, the civilian entered his PKI password at Mr. Snowden’s computer terminal. Unbeknownst to the civilian, Mr. Snowden was able to capture the password, allowing him even greater access to classified information.” | The memo stated: “Further, at Mr. Snowden’s request, the civilian entered his PKI password at Mr. Snowden’s computer terminal. Unbeknownst to the civilian, Mr. Snowden was able to capture the password, allowing him even greater access to classified information.” |