FC: FBI probing Israeli wiretapping at White House claim challenged

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Also see two contradictory reports here:
http://www.foxnews.com/national/050500/phonebreach.sml
http://www.foxnews.com/national/0505/d_ap_0505_195.sml

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> Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 21:35:22 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Shaya Potter <spotter () yucs org>
> To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
> Subject: Re: FC: FBI probing Israeli wiretapping at White House --Insight
>  mag
>
>
> Wondering if you are going to post this
> http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-White-House-Phones.html as a followup
> to the story below.
>
> Shaya Potter

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To: declan () well com
> Subject: Re: FC: FBI probing Israeli wiretapping at White House --Insight mag
> Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 21:04:50 -0400
> From: Omri Schwarz <ocschwar () MIT EDU>
>
>  > ^Ó[The FBI] uncovered what appears to be a sophisticated means to 
> listen in
> > on conversations from remote telephone sites with capabilities of 
> providing
> > real-time audio feeds directly to Tel Aviv,^Ô says a U.S. official 
> familiar
> > with the FBI investigation. Details of how this could have been pulled off
> > are highly guarded. However, a high-level U.S. intelligence source tells
> > Insight: ^ÓThe access had to be done in such a way as to evade our
> > countermeasures ^Å That^Òs what^Òs most disconcerting.
>
> I'm having trouble believing this part.
>
> How would Israel deliver the signal to J'lem?
>
> Wireless? Easily probed for.
>
> Regularly retrieved data storage media?
> Not good for the claimed "real time" capacity,
> and also a nasty point of failure.
>
> Subverting a telephone switch to fork a call
> to a third destination? Also something that can be probed for.
>
>  > Despite elaborate precautions by the U.S. agencies involved, say 
> Insight^Òs
> > sources, this alleged Israeli intelligence coup came down to the weakest
> > link in the security chain: the human element. The technical key 
> appears to
> > be software designs for telephone billing records and support equipment
> > required for interfacing with local telephone company hardware 
> installed in
> > some federal agencies. The FBI has deduced that it was this sophisticated
> > computer-related equipment and software could provide real-time audio
> > feeds. In fact, according to Insight^Òs sources, the FBI believes that at
> > least one secure T-1 line routed to Tel Aviv has been used in the 
> suspected
> > espionage.
>
> And this is why.
>
> This T-1 feed would have to go across the Pond, through Western Europe,
> to Cyprus, hence to Israel.
>
> There would be ample opportunities to intercept it,
> especially if it is a "real time audio feed". A singing
> canary test would flush a project like this out very quickly.
> (Stage a conversation on a suspected vulnerable phone line
> and see if it causes the Israelis to twitch.)
>
> Now, interception of billing records, I can believe.
> ("So and so calling such and such at this date and time"
> is useful information.)
> Penetration of the voice mail banks, I can believe.
>
> (Especially when every h4x0r site and its mom
> has instructions on how to do so.)
>
> But for Israel to conduct an Echelon-like operation
> on the United States, well, that stretches my credulity.
>
> (I also have to question the bias of the author.
>  Saying "Tel Aviv" when the correct name is
> "Jerusalem" is a good way to annoy Israelis.)
>
> > The potential loss of U.S. secrets is incalculable. So is the possibility
> > that senior U.S. officials could be blackmailed for indiscreet telephone
> > talk. Many officials do not like to bother with using secure, encrypted
> > phones and have classified discussions on open lines.
>
> And if you're going to have a security leak, better to
> blame a country known for daring espionage operations,
> than to blame one's own idiocy.
>
> (Let's see, how many laptops have been stolen recently?)
>
> > Carelessness always has been a problem, but former and current FBI special
> > agents say that under the Clinton administration the disregard for 
> security
> > has been epidemic. Many officials simply don^Òt like the bother of
> > communicating on secure phones.
>
> I can believe that. The John Deutch scandal showed that much.

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