February 2015 Intelligence News

Obama Renews Controversial NSA Spying Program Ahead of Deadline Sputnik 28 Feb 2015 -- Early last year in a speech at the Department of Justice, President Obama announced a transition that would end the Section 215 bulk telephony metadata program as it previously existed, and that the government would establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk data.
Joint Statement By the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the Declassification of Renewal of Collection Under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act US Dept. of Justice 27 Feb 2015 -- Early last year in a speech at the Department of Justice, President Obama announced a transition that would end the Section 215 bulk telephony metadata program as it previously existed, and that the government would establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk data.
Intelligence Chief Describes 'Pervasive Uncertainty' of Worldwide Threats AFPS 27 Feb 2015 -- "Unpredictable instability" is the new normal, the director of National Intelligence told the Senate Armed Services Committee here yesterday.
Argentine Congress votes to scrap intelligence agency Iran Press TV 26 Feb 2015 -- Argentine legislators have voted to disband the South American country's intelligence agency and replace it with a new federal body that will be accountable to the Congress.
Leaks Show S Africa Spied on Itself for Details of Joint Satellite Project Sputnik 26 Feb 2015 -- South Africa's intelligence agency relied on a spy who had access to Russian military intelligence to uncover details of its own government's involvement in a $100 million joint satellite surveillance program with Russia.
Spook Central: Plans to Give Danish Spies More Powers Than NSA, GCHQ Sputnik 25 Feb 2015 -- the Danish Intelligence Defence Service – would be granted increased powers to spy on Danes abroad suspected of being involved in terror cells, even without the issuing of a court order.
Gemalto Says US, UK Spy Agencies Likely Behind SIM Card Hack Sputnik 25 Feb 2015 -- Gemalto, the world's largest SIM producer, said Wednesday that US and British intelligence are likely behind the hacking of their SIM cards, and targeted "numerous parties" beyond Gemalto.
Report: Mossad Was Less Alarmed Than Netanyahu On Iran RFE/RL 24 Feb 2015 -- A leaked cable suggests Israel's spy agency did not share Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's view in 2012 that Iran was months away from producing enough weapons-grade uranium for making a nuclear bomb.
AF marks first RQ-4 non-military base landing at Australian air show AFNS 24 Feb 2015 -- A remotely piloted U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft landed Feb. 22, at Avalon Airport in Victoria, Australia, marking this the first time a high-altitude asset has flown into a non-military air base to be viewed by the general public.
CIA to expand cyber spying capabilities: Report Iran Press TV 24 Feb 2015 -- The Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan intends to expand the agency's cyber-espionage capacity, including employing foreign officials as informants, current and former US officials said.
CIA Planning Major Expansion of Cyber-Espionage Capabilities Sputnik 24 Feb 2015 -- that's God," James Clapper, – then being considered for his current position as head of the NSA – was quoted as saying in a 2010 investigation by the Post which exposed the extent to which the intelligence community had grown post-9/11.
Iran to increase home-built drones' flight range IRNA 21 Feb 2015 -- A senior Iranian official says the country is working to increase the flight range of its domestically-made drones.
Revelation of Secret Spyware Could Hamper US Espionage Efforts VOA 20 Feb 2015 -- The revelation of secret technology that buries spyware into computer hard drives could be a blow to espionage efforts by the U.S. National Security Agency, intelligence analysts say.
SIM Card Producer Investigates US Intelligence Hack, Unable to Verify Sputnik 20 Feb 2015 -- International SIM card producer Gemalto, reportedly hacked by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), is unable to verify the findings at present and is going to conduct a detailed investigation, the company said in a press release on Friday.
Finnish, Swedish Telecoms May Be Compromised in SIM Card Hacking Scandal Sputnik 20 Feb 2015 -- Customers of Finland and Sweden's largest mobile network operator TeliaSonera may have fallen victim to the hacking incident that enabled Western intelligence agencies to monitor their mobile phone users' activities, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter daily reported Friday.
Kaspersky Lab Cannot Confirm NSA Behind Espionage Program on 30 Countries Sputnik 19 Feb 2015 -- Kaspersky Lab cannot confirm that the US National Security Agency (NSA) or any other intelligence agency is behind the discovered cyberespionage program affecting at least 30 countries, the company told Sputnik on Thursday.
UK Government Admits Bugging Lawyer-Client Calls Sputnik 19 Feb 2015 -- The UK Government has dramatically admitted allowing its intelligence agencies to illegally spy on lawyer-client communications and now faces a legal case brought by two victims of an MI6-orchestrated rendition operation.
FSB Head To Attend Obama Antiextremism Summit RFE/RL 18 Feb 2015 -- The U.S. State Department has confirmed that Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), will be part of a Russian delegation at the Obama administration's antiextremism conference in Washington.
Guilty as Charged: Poland Was Involved in CIA Torture Sputnik 18 Feb 2015 -- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has confirmed Poland's involvement in the CIA's covert program of rendition, detention and interrogation, sources say.
Pakistan's Army Chief Visits Afghanistan VOA 17 Feb 2015 -- Pakistan's army chief says his country is sharing "unprecedented" levels of intelligence with Afghanistan and both countries are working "hand in glove" to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
After Chaotic Withdrawal CIA Slashes Operations in Yemen Sputnik 12 Feb 2015 -- With the takeover of Yemen by Shiite rebels, Western nations are stumbling over themselves to evacuate diplomats. The US announced its embassy's closure, and Britain and France are soon to follow. But also racing for the exit is the CIA, potentially leaving Yemen – and the world – vulnerable to al-Qaeda attacks.
New Threat Center to Integrate Cyber Intelligence AFPS 11 Feb 2015 -- A new Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center is being created under the auspices of the director of national intelligence.
UK Regulator Denies CIA Torture Report Redacted to Hide Britain's Role Sputnik 11 Feb 2015 -- Britain's security and intelligence services did not seek to cover up their complicity in US mistreatment of terrorist suspects when they asked the US Senate to redact its report on CIA torture practices, a UK regulator said in a Wednesday statement.
Russian Citizen Buryakov Charged With Spying in NYC - Attorney Sputnik 11 Feb 2015 -- Russian national Evgeny Buryakov was charged with espionage for Russia's intelligence service during a preliminary hearing in Manhattan court on Wednesday, a statement from the US Attorney's Office in New York said.
US Creates Cyber-CIA to Fight Hackers Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- The Obama administration announced creation of another federal intelligence center in the long list of law enforcement and spy services. This time its main task will be cyberintel.
Ukraine Jails 'Russian Spy' for Nine Years on Treason Charge Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Northern Ukraine's Chernigiv Court has sentenced a former military serviceman to a nine-year jail term on charges of espionage in favor of Russia, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said Tuesday in a statement.
New York Court Indicts Alleged Russian Agent Sputnik 10 Feb 2015 -- Russian national Evgeny Buryakov was indicted without a hearing at the US District Court of Southern District of New York on Monday, a spokesperson from the court told Sputnik following the decision.
Britain espionage on people unlawful: UK court Iran Press TV 06 Feb 2015 -- A tribunal in the UK has ruled that Britain has unlawfully spied on its citizens by receiving intelligence from the US National Security Agency (NSA).
British Intel Agency Found Guilty of Human Rights Breach by Secret Court Sputnik 06 Feb 2015 -- GCHQ's access to the intercepted information, which was originally collected by the US National Security Agency (NSA) was found to be against human rights laws, according to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
Unbalanced media power skews espionage war People's Daily 05 Feb 2015 -- A Chinese doctoral candidate who had been working on a wind power project at the University of Agder over the past two years was recently ordered by Norwegian police to leave the country before January 23.
British Spies Threaten to End Cooperation With Germany Over NSA Probe Sputnik 05 Feb 2015 -- The British intelligence agency GCHQ has warned their German colleagues they will break off contact if the German parliament continues its inquiry into the NSA dragnet surveillance program, Germany's online news magazine FOCUS said Thursday.
New Snowden Docs: Western Spy Agencies Rely on Hackers Sputnik 05 Feb 2015 -- The US, UK and Canadian governments have been exploiting the information stolen by the same hackers they vilify and aggressively prosecute, according to documents leaked by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Chinese troops warned on espionage People's Daily 04 Feb 2015 -- Chinese military authorities have ordered servicemen to be on guard against infiltration and espionage by 'hostile forces'.
Obama Sets Limitations on NSA Spying After Snowden Leaks Sputnik 04 Feb 2015 -- The US administration set new changes on the National Security Agency's collection of data on Americans and foreigners, bringing reform to the controversial NSA spying administration.
CIA Torture Whistleblower Released From Prison, Subject to House Arrest Sputnik 04 Feb 2015 -- Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, sentenced to 30 months in prison for disclosing the agency's torture practices, has been released from jail, he said in a post on Twitter.
Statement by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco: Update on Implementation of Signals Intelligence Reform and Issuance of PPD-28 The White House 03 Feb 2015 -- "Today, the Director of National Intelligence is releasing a report that highlights substantial progress and reflects an ongoing commitment to greater transparency. This report details, among other things, the Intelligence Community's progress in implementing PPD-28, reforms regarding the collection of bulk telephony metadata records under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the collection of intelligence under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the use of national security letters. "
Worldwide Threat Scope, Complexity on the Rise AFPS 03 Feb 2015 -- Taken in aggregate, recent political, military, social and technological developments have created security challenges more diverse and complex than any the nation has ever experienced, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Vincent R. Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Congress today.
Obama puts limited controls on NSA spying Iran Press TV 03 Feb 2015 -- The US administration has put limited controls on the National Security Agency's collection of data on Americans and foreigners, a move that comes a year after President Barack Obama vowed to reform the controversial NSA spying regime.
US to Require Removal of Private Data Serving No Intelligence Purposes Sputnik 03 Feb 2015 -- The US government will announce on Tuesday new rules that require security agencies to delete 'incidentally collected' private data of US and foreign individuals that have no intelligence purposes, The New York Times reported.
US to Begin Delivering Global Hawks to Republic of Korea in 2018 Sputnik 03 Feb 2015 -- The United States will start delivering Global Hawk long-range unmanned aircrafts for the Republic of Korea's Air Force in 2018, according to the statement by the defense contractor Northrop Grumman released on Monday.
DoD Releases Military Intelligence Program Base Request for Fiscal Year 2016 DoD 02 Feb 2015 -- The Department of Defense released today the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) top line budget request for fiscal year 2016. The total, which includes both the base budget and Overseas Contingency Operations funding, is $17.9 billion.
Japan Successfully Launches New Spy Satellite Sputnik 01 Feb 2015 -- Japan successfully completed the launch of a radar reconnaissance satellite on Sunday morning, the Kyodo news agency reports.

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