[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been exposed for using a Swiss cryptographic equipment company for decades to extract information not only from enemy countries but also from allied nations. While the U.S. has demanded its allies ban the use of Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei for national security reasons, it has secretly monitored information from its allies and others.
On the 11th (local time), The Washington Post (WP), together with Germany's broadcaster ZDF, reported that they obtained classified CIA operational documents and revealed that "the CIA has been reading confidential information from both allied and enemy countries for decades." The materials obtained by WP and ZDF include a 96-page operational document completed in 2004 by the CIA's internal agency, the Information Research Center, and an oral history edited by German intelligence authorities in 2008.
According to the report, the CIA effectively owned the Swiss equipment company Crypto AG to secure information. Crypto AG has maintained a unique position in producing and selling cryptographic equipment to various countries since World War II, selling equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars to over 120 countries in the 21st century alone.
Countries using this company's equipment included South Korea and Japan, as well as adversaries India and Pakistan, and even the Vatican. For example, in 1981, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Italy, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Jordan, and South Korea were among Crypto AG's largest customers. The Soviet Union (now Russia) and China, which opposed the U.S. during the Cold War, suspected Crypto AG was linked to the West and did not use its equipment.
WP reported, "What none of the customers knew was that the company was secretly owned by the CIA, which had a close cooperative relationship with West Germany's intelligence agency BND." Crypto AG had contracts with the U.S. military during World War II and subsequently with governments worldwide to sell cryptographic equipment. The CIA and BND reportedly manipulated the equipment's programming in advance to easily decrypt and obtain confidential information transmitted through it.
After decades of cooperation, the BND withdrew from the operation in the early 1990s due to concerns about exposure, while the CIA continued to buy out Germany's shares and ultimately ended the operation in 2018. In 2017, Crypto AG sold its headquarters building, and in 2018, it sold all other assets. WP requested comments from the CIA and BND but was refused; however, these agencies did not deny the authenticity of the documents.
The operation was initially codenamed "Thesaurus," meaning synonym dictionary, and later changed to "Rubicon." WP described it as the boldest operation in CIA history. The CIA documents also used the phrase "the espionage coup of the century."
This revelation is notable because pressure on Huawei by the Trump administration has recently intensified. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) citing sources on the same day, the U.S. government believes Huawei has secretly accessed telecommunications equipment to view information, and this access possibility has continued for over ten years.
Robert O'Brien, U.S. National Security Council (NSC) advisor, claimed, "There is evidence that Huawei can secretly access sensitive or personal information within systems." Another senior U.S. administration official added, "Huawei has not disclosed that it can secretly access customers or major national intelligence agencies."
Huawei strongly denies the U.S. claims, stating, "We never compromise network security."
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