The Irish government unwittingly purchased and operated encryption equipment from a company secretly owned by the CIA in the 1980s, according to classified documents. The CIA’s knowledge of the inner workings of Crypto AG equipment allowed it to easily intercept and decode diplomatic cables, the documents stated. However, they state the CIA was happy to share intelligence gathered from other Crypto AG users, such as Argentina, with its British counterparts. Many countries stopped using the devices with the arrival of online encryption methods, although the documents indicate the CIA operation is still live. “Small states like ours, who don’t develop their own encryption equipment and have to buy it in, must assume someone else is always listening,” he said.

Source: The Irish Times February 12, 2020 02:26 UTC