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| N.S.A. Forces Out Civilian Employee With Snowden Tie | N.S.A. Forces Out Civilian Employee With Snowden Tie |
| (7 months later) | |
| WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has told Congress that it has forced out a civilian employee after a lengthy investigation to “assign accountability” for the disclosure of intelligence secrets by Edward J. Snowden, one of its former contractors. | |
| Two others — identified only as an active-duty military member and another contractor — were “removed from access to N.S.A. information” and facilities last August. But because neither worked directly for the N.S.A., the agency told the House Judiciary Committee in a letter, any further action would have to be determined by their employers. | Two others — identified only as an active-duty military member and another contractor — were “removed from access to N.S.A. information” and facilities last August. But because neither worked directly for the N.S.A., the agency told the House Judiciary Committee in a letter, any further action would have to be determined by their employers. |
| The letter, first reported by NBC News, was intended to answer congressional queries about who, beyond Mr. Snowden himself, would be held accountable for the security lapses that led to his disclosures. The answer appeared to suggest that no senior officials of the N.S.A. or its oversight organization, the office of the director of national intelligence, will be disciplined or fired for what officials have called the largest and most damaging disclosure of classified material in American history. | The letter, first reported by NBC News, was intended to answer congressional queries about who, beyond Mr. Snowden himself, would be held accountable for the security lapses that led to his disclosures. The answer appeared to suggest that no senior officials of the N.S.A. or its oversight organization, the office of the director of national intelligence, will be disciplined or fired for what officials have called the largest and most damaging disclosure of classified material in American history. |
| The director of the N.S.A., Gen. Keith B. Alexander, is retiring next month after serving far longer than his predecessors. The director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., who has also been a focus of criticism for failing to police the speed at which security upgrades have been conducted throughout the intelligence community, remains in office. | The director of the N.S.A., Gen. Keith B. Alexander, is retiring next month after serving far longer than his predecessors. The director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., who has also been a focus of criticism for failing to police the speed at which security upgrades have been conducted throughout the intelligence community, remains in office. |
| Both men, and their wives, were guests at the state dinner on Tuesday night for France’s president, François Hollande, which was widely interpreted as an indication they remained in good stead at the White House. | Both men, and their wives, were guests at the state dinner on Tuesday night for France’s president, François Hollande, which was widely interpreted as an indication they remained in good stead at the White House. |
| The N.S.A. letter was written by the director of the agency’s legislative affairs office, Ethan L. Bauman, and provided the first public account of how Mr. Snowden obtained access to materials for which his own passwords would not give him access. | The N.S.A. letter was written by the director of the agency’s legislative affairs office, Ethan L. Bauman, and provided the first public account of how Mr. Snowden obtained access to materials for which his own passwords would not give him access. |
| It said that an “N.S.A. civilian” — reported to be Mr. Snowden’s supervisor, though the letter did not say that — gave the 29-year-old contractor his Public Key Infrastructure certificate to gain access to documents on N.S.A. Net, the intelligence agency’s intranet. | It said that an “N.S.A. civilian” — reported to be Mr. Snowden’s supervisor, though the letter did not say that — gave the 29-year-old contractor his Public Key Infrastructure certificate to gain access to documents on N.S.A. Net, the intelligence agency’s intranet. |
| Vanee M. Vines, an agency spokeswoman, declined to identify the employee who resigned or to say if he or she had supervised Mr. Snowden. The employee presumably was a colleague at the N.S.A. facility in Hawaii where Mr. Snowden worked. It is not clear if the contractor and the member of the military mentioned in the letter also worked there. | Vanee M. Vines, an agency spokeswoman, declined to identify the employee who resigned or to say if he or she had supervised Mr. Snowden. The employee presumably was a colleague at the N.S.A. facility in Hawaii where Mr. Snowden worked. It is not clear if the contractor and the member of the military mentioned in the letter also worked there. |
| A Public Key Infrastructure certificate is a first step in enabling access to a restricted computer system. But gaining access also requires passwords, and the letter from the N.S.A. alleged that Mr. Snowden used a bit of digital deception to obtain the password; the civilian N.S.A. employee entered his password on Mr. Snowden’s computer, not realizing that “Mr. Snowden was able to capture the password, allowing him even greater access to classified information.” | A Public Key Infrastructure certificate is a first step in enabling access to a restricted computer system. But gaining access also requires passwords, and the letter from the N.S.A. alleged that Mr. Snowden used a bit of digital deception to obtain the password; the civilian N.S.A. employee entered his password on Mr. Snowden’s computer, not realizing that “Mr. Snowden was able to capture the password, allowing him even greater access to classified information.” |
| In past interviews, Mr. Snowden has denied that he stole the passwords of colleagues to gain access to any material in the N.S.A.’s systems. | In past interviews, Mr. Snowden has denied that he stole the passwords of colleagues to gain access to any material in the N.S.A.’s systems. |
| The New York Times reported Sunday, and Mr. Clapper later confirmed to Congress, that Mr. Snowden released a web crawler inside the N.S.A.’s computer systems once he had gained access. That crawler, which automatically indexes the N.S.A. Net and could copy any documents in its path, would essentially use the passwords that Mr. Snowden held, legitimately or illegitimately. | The New York Times reported Sunday, and Mr. Clapper later confirmed to Congress, that Mr. Snowden released a web crawler inside the N.S.A.’s computer systems once he had gained access. That crawler, which automatically indexes the N.S.A. Net and could copy any documents in its path, would essentially use the passwords that Mr. Snowden held, legitimately or illegitimately. |
| Mr. Snowden later copied files delivered by the crawler to some kind of external storage device, like a thumb drive or hard disk drive, before leaving his N.S.A. job last April and heading to Hong Kong. He is now living in Moscow. | Mr. Snowden later copied files delivered by the crawler to some kind of external storage device, like a thumb drive or hard disk drive, before leaving his N.S.A. job last April and heading to Hong Kong. He is now living in Moscow. |
| The letter to the committee suggested that the N.S.A. has understood how Mr. Snowden obtained passwords since June 18, when “the N.S.A. civilian admitted to F.B.I. special agents that he allowed Mr. Snowden” to use his credentials. | The letter to the committee suggested that the N.S.A. has understood how Mr. Snowden obtained passwords since June 18, when “the N.S.A. civilian admitted to F.B.I. special agents that he allowed Mr. Snowden” to use his credentials. |
| The N.S.A. said that it “initially suspended the civilian’s access to N.S.A. sensitive compartmented information” and revoked his security clearances in November. The civilian resigned on Jan. 10. | The N.S.A. said that it “initially suspended the civilian’s access to N.S.A. sensitive compartmented information” and revoked his security clearances in November. The civilian resigned on Jan. 10. |
| How Mr. Snowden gained access to documents for which his passwords would not give him clearance is a secondary issue to two questions currently reverberating around the intelligence agencies and the Justice Department: Exactly how much material did he take with him when he left Hawaii, and did he have the help of a foreign intelligence service? | How Mr. Snowden gained access to documents for which his passwords would not give him clearance is a secondary issue to two questions currently reverberating around the intelligence agencies and the Justice Department: Exactly how much material did he take with him when he left Hawaii, and did he have the help of a foreign intelligence service? |
| On the first question, intelligence officials have estimated that he “accessed” 1.7 million documents, or more. But it is unclear how many of those he actually downloaded onto some kind of removable media and took with him or placed in the Internet cloud. | On the first question, intelligence officials have estimated that he “accessed” 1.7 million documents, or more. But it is unclear how many of those he actually downloaded onto some kind of removable media and took with him or placed in the Internet cloud. |
| Mr. Snowden’s advocates have said that the amount he took has been exaggerated by General Alexander, Mr. Clapper and other officials, as part of an effort to paint him as a traitor, rather than a whistle-blower. | Mr. Snowden’s advocates have said that the amount he took has been exaggerated by General Alexander, Mr. Clapper and other officials, as part of an effort to paint him as a traitor, rather than a whistle-blower. |
| Glenn Greenwald, the advocacy journalist who received much of the Snowden trove, sent out a Twitter message on Thursday about the N.S.A. report to Congress, commenting sarcastically that “there’s no reason to be the slightest bit skeptical about a memo prepared by the NSA about Snowden & intended for public release #USMedia.” | Glenn Greenwald, the advocacy journalist who received much of the Snowden trove, sent out a Twitter message on Thursday about the N.S.A. report to Congress, commenting sarcastically that “there’s no reason to be the slightest bit skeptical about a memo prepared by the NSA about Snowden & intended for public release #USMedia.” |
| The report’s finding that an N.S.A. civilian employee bore at least some responsibility will complicate the argument that the origin of the leak was an over-reliance on contractors by the agency. | The report’s finding that an N.S.A. civilian employee bore at least some responsibility will complicate the argument that the origin of the leak was an over-reliance on contractors by the agency. |
| Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested last summer that there should be legislation severely restricting the access that contractors have to the intelligence agency systems; that effort failed after intelligence officials explained how deeply they depend on outsiders to design and operate those systems. | Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested last summer that there should be legislation severely restricting the access that contractors have to the intelligence agency systems; that effort failed after intelligence officials explained how deeply they depend on outsiders to design and operate those systems. |
| Booz Allen Hamilton, where Mr. Snowden worked in his final job in Hawaii, has designed key elements of the N.S.A. networks. | Booz Allen Hamilton, where Mr. Snowden worked in his final job in Hawaii, has designed key elements of the N.S.A. networks. |