Phone chipmaker Gemalto probes report of hacking by U.S., UK spies
Source: Reuters
Phone chipmaker Gemalto probes report of hacking by U.S., UK spies
Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:20am EST
PARIS (Reuters) - Gemalto said on Friday it was investigating a report U.S. and British spies had hacked its systems to steal the privacy-protecting encryption keys in the chips it makes for mobile phones.
Citing documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, the report said the hack allowed the agencies to monitor a large portion of voice and data mobile communications around the world without permission from governments and telecom companies.
Gemalto's shares sank as much as 10 percent in huge volumes in early trading after the news website Intercept reported the hack by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
"We take this publication very seriously and will devote all resources necessary to fully investigate and understand the scope of such sophisticated techniques," the company said in a statement.
The hack by the National Security Agency (NSA) and UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) allowed the agencies to monitor a large portion of voice and data mobile communications around the world without permission from governments and telecom companies, according to the report.
Read more: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0LO0K720150220
