CIA and BND Secretly Owned Crypto AG to Spy on Hundreds of Nations
A new podcast reveals that the CIA and Germany's BND covertly controlled the Swiss encryption firm Crypto AG, using its machines to intercept communications of roughly 100 countries.
The podcast "Code Wars" uncovers a long-standing espionage operation in which the American CIA and German BND jointly owned Crypto AG, the leading maker of encryption devices. By manipulating these machines, the agencies were able to listen in on confidential messages from about a hundred states, many of them Western allies. The investigation highlights how the firms' products were deliberately compromised to serve intelligence goals.
Why it matters
It shows how trusted encryption tools were compromised by major intelligence agencies, affecting global communications security.
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