To monitor activity around the bitcoins, the NSA used the Monkeyrocket program, which allowed collecting data from the Middle East, Europe, South America and Asia, according to documents revealed.
The National Security Agency (NSA) has monitored the activity of bitcoin users around the world, has revealed classified documents provided by Edward Snowden and published by The Intercept.
Specifically, an internal report of the NSA of March 2013 reports that the agency found ways to "locate those who send and receive" bitcoins. In addition, the activity of the agency may have included the collection of data from the computers of these people. A note from the NSA on March 29, 2013 suggests that data on the password, activity on the Internet, and MAC address (a type of unique device identification number) of some users had been collected.
Although the NSA was also interested in monitoring other cryptocurrencies, "the bitcoin is the # 1 priority," said another agency internal report.
To monitor the activity of bitcoins, the NSA used the Monkeyrocket program, which in turn was part of the Oakstar program, which allowed the agency to monitor communications, including the collection of Internet data while transmitting over fiber cables. optics.
Monkeyrocket intervened network equipment to collect data from the Middle East, Europe, South America and Asia. Although the NSA assured that the objective of the program consisted in the fight against terrorism, it also said that "other target users will be those who are sought by the NSA offices".
The NSA specified that part of the Monkeyrocket strategy was "to attract targets involved in terrorism, [including] Al Qaeda" to use a "search product," which "the NSA can use." This 'software' program, whose name is unknown, cheated bitcoin users to "use a tool that, they thought, was going to provide them with anonymity online but actually channeled the data directly to the NSA," writes The Intercept
Matthew Green, an assistant professor at the Institute of Information Security at Johns Hopkins University, has called "pernicious" the hypothesis that the NSA "would launch a full operation abroad with deception" to spy on targets. This fuels the idea "that the US is of little confidence".
The expert added that they are "bad news for privacy, because this means that in addition to the difficult problem of making private transactions, we must also ensure that all network connections [are secure]."
Financial privacy is extremely important for bitcoin users, so people who are aware of these problems will move to "privacy-oriented currencies" after learning about NSA activity, Emin Gun Sirer has warned. assistant professor and co-director of the Initiative for cryptocurrency and contracts at Cornell University.