The US National Security Agency, considered the world�s most advanced electronic espionage and surveillance group, has been hacked.

An anonymous group of�hackers calling itself the Shadow Brokers says it breached the networks of�the world's most advanced spying agency, the NSA. The hacker group claimed Monday that it extracted software used by�the NSA to�hack computers and networks belonging to�governments and corporations, including Cisco Systems and Fortinet Inc.

The Shadow Brokers released a bit of�the captured data (some 300 MB) on�the web to�prove their claim. Security experts analyzed the files and agreed that the software is authentic.

The hackers have, curiously, put the rest of�the software on�an online auction, aiming to�collect $1 billion in�bitcoins. They claim that the package contains software "weapons better than�Stuxnet," a malicious worm that caused significant damage to�computer networks serving the Iranian nuclear program. When the online auction raises one million bitcoins (some $568 million), the group says it will release another chunk of�software to�the public for�free.
The group claims it successfully hacked the NSA's Equation Group division. The existence of�the Equation Group was first announced by�Moscow-based software security group Kaspersky Lab in�2015. Kaspersky Lab called the Equation Group the most sophisticated cyber-attack group in�the world, and "the most advanced� we have seen."


Whistleblower Edward Snowden provided documents that allowed the Intercept to�confirm that the Equation Group is connected to�the NSA.


The malware package is part of�the NSA's involvement in�violating vulnerabilities in�computer systems, which first became publicly known in�2014, when President Barack Obama signed an order that government agencies must disclose discovered vulnerabilities to�developers. But this order had a major loophole, in�that vulnerabilities that have "a clear national security or law enforcement" significance can be kept secret and exploited, according to�Wired. This led to�the creation of�massive arsenal of�attack software, which is now in�hands of�unknown hackers.


NSA-veteran-turned-whistleblower William Binney told Sputnik's Loud & Clear that the Agency "has a tendency not to�fix things," as�once they report a vulnerability, "this window is closed for�them and they can not see through�it."


Binney says this particular attack was likely an inside�job. He states that the NSA network is physically separated from�the Internet, so someone inside�the NSA, "another Snowden-type person," must have compromised the software and handled it over�to the Shadow Brokers.


If it is not the case, and the internal network has in�fact been breached from�the outside, "the implications are much, much greater in�terms of�compromising information and data than�simply [someone] draining their exploitation software."


The whistleblower also underscored the clear and present danger that, should the offensive software fall into�hands of�foreign specialists, it could be reverse-engineered, updated and used for�attacks even after�the exposed vulnerabilities are patched. Binney believes Iran is already studying Stuxnet, seeking to�reverse engineer and upgrade it and use it to�its own interests.


Edward Snowden has suggested that Russia is behind�the Shadow Brokers. "Circumstantial evidence and conventional wisdom indicates Russian responsibility," he tweeted. His comments were added to�by James A. Lewis, of�the Center for�Strategic and International Studies, who suggested that the NSA dump is "some Russian mind game."


Snowden has observed that the NSA leak is "likely a warning that someone can prove US responsibility for�any attacks that originated from�this [NSA] malware server."


"That could have significant foreign policy consequences. Particularly if any of�those operations targeted US allies," he added in�the next tweet.


Thus a simple hack balloons from�being a cyber-security issue to�possibly becoming a full-scale foreign policy crisis.


By Sputnik