Tweet
22 October 2013 Last updated at 13:36 ET
US National Security Agency 'spied on French diplomats'
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Paris on 22 October 2013
The US National Security Agency has spied on French diplomats in Washington and at the UN, according to the latest claims in Le Monde newspaper. NSA internal memos obtained by Le Monde detailed the use of a sophisticated surveillance programme, known as Genie.
US spies allegedly hacked foreign networks, introducing the spyware into the software, routers and firewalls of millions of machines. It comes a day after claims the NSA tapped millions of phones in France.
The details in the latest Le Monde article are based on leaks from ex-intelligence analyst Edward Snowden, through Glen Greenwald, the outgoing Guardian journalist, who is feeding the material from Brazil, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris.
It comes on the day the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, is in London meeting foreign counterparts to discuss Syria.
'Spy implants'
The Le Monde report sets out details of Genie, an NSA surveillance programme in which spyware implants were introduced remotely to overseas computers, including foreign embassies. It claims bugs were introduced to the French Embassy in Washington (under a code name "Wabash") and to the computers of the French delegation at the UN, codenamed "Blackfoot".
The article suggests that in 2011, the US allocated $652m (£402m) in funding for the programme, which was spent on "spy implants". Tens of millions of computers were reported to have been hacked that year.
US National Security Agency 'spied on French diplomats'
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Paris on 22 October 2013
The US National Security Agency has spied on French diplomats in Washington and at the UN, according to the latest claims in Le Monde newspaper. NSA internal memos obtained by Le Monde detailed the use of a sophisticated surveillance programme, known as Genie.
US spies allegedly hacked foreign networks, introducing the spyware into the software, routers and firewalls of millions of machines. It comes a day after claims the NSA tapped millions of phones in France.
The details in the latest Le Monde article are based on leaks from ex-intelligence analyst Edward Snowden, through Glen Greenwald, the outgoing Guardian journalist, who is feeding the material from Brazil, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris.
It comes on the day the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, is in London meeting foreign counterparts to discuss Syria.
'Spy implants'
The Le Monde report sets out details of Genie, an NSA surveillance programme in which spyware implants were introduced remotely to overseas computers, including foreign embassies. It claims bugs were introduced to the French Embassy in Washington (under a code name "Wabash") and to the computers of the French delegation at the UN, codenamed "Blackfoot".
The article suggests that in 2011, the US allocated $652m (£402m) in funding for the programme, which was spent on "spy implants". Tens of millions of computers were reported to have been hacked that year.
BBC
Comment