NSA Eavesdropping On Countless Hard Drives With Spyware New Report Reveals
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The National Security Agency has found a way to eavesdrop on countless computer hard drives by installing spyware deep within the drives made by major manufacturers, according to a new report.
A Moscow-based security software maker exposed the operation, Reuters reported.
KCBS technology analyst Larry Magid says the software could be spying on nuclear programs around the world.
"While the link between this attack and the NSA or any other government agency is circumstantial, researchers at Kaspersky have linked this attack vector with Stuxnet, a worm allegedly created by the U.S. government to attack Iran's nuclear program."
The software maker said computers in 30 countries had been infected by the spying programs, including computers in Iran, Russia, Pakistan, China, and Syria.
Banks, energy companies, and military institutions had been targeted by the operation according to the report.
Western Digital, Toshiba, and Cupertino-based Seagate were named as hard drive manufacturers that had been affected.