Switzerland files criminal indictment over crypto espionage scandal

(Original title: Switzerland files criminal complaint over Crypto spying scandal Mission Description: Expand)

Netease Technology News March 2 news, according to foreign media reports, the Swiss Attorney General’s Office said on Sunday that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) allegedly used a cryptographic company as a cover to surveil the secret communications of various governments. , the Swiss government has filed criminal charges.

Recently, reports of “Operation Rubicon” have appeared in the media, claiming that the CIA and the German Federal Intelligence Service, for decades, have been able to covertly read the secret information of other countries encrypted by the technology of the Swiss encryption company Crypto.

Crypto sells cryptographic equipment and software. U.S. and German intelligence secretly controlled Crypto and were able to freely read the company’s encrypted messages. The move embarrassed Switzerland, which has long been considered neutral in international affairs, and could damage Switzerland’s international reputation.

While Operation Rubicon was known for years, the latest details of its scope and duration were made public only last month by investigative journalists in Switzerland, Germany and the United States.

“The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland confirms that it has received criminal charges filed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs on 2 February 2020 for possible violations of export control laws,” the Swiss Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office will review the allegations and confirm media reports before deciding whether to initiate criminal proceedings, the statement said.

Crypto, the encryption technology sold to dozens of governments, has deliberate flaws or built-in backdoors that make it easy for American and German spies to read encrypted messages.

The Swiss government has appointed a former Swiss Supreme Court judge to investigate Operation Rubicon. He will have a report by the end of June and will report to Cabinet.

But there is growing pressure on the Swiss parliament to launch its own investigation to find out who in Switzerland knew about it. (Tianmen Mountain)