The headline report in Sunday World dated October 1, claiming CIA and MI6 penetration of the State Security Agency, is extremely disturbing. A hacking of this magnitude deserves to be probed at the highest level of governance.
An intrusion of this nature has grave manifestations for our relations with the US and the UK. History reminds us that it was the CIA that alerted apartheid intelligence on Nelson Mandela’s movements on August 5 1962, that led to his arrest.
The US and her compliant allies rely heavily on technical means rather than human espionage. CIA involvement in Southern Africa has been active for over 75 years. During the Cold War, the CIA had more than 40 deep cover operatives working at the US embassyin SA; it probably still happens today.
The hacking of the State Security Agency just before the Brics summit was a golden moment to snatch critical communication and policy information of those five pivotal nations.
It is highly probable the hackers ofthe CIA/MI6 were searching for evidence regarding the Lady R saga, details of Russian alliance with SA, I ran’s bid for Brics membership, strategic trade agreements with Brics and its efforts at de-dollarisation.
We are hopelessly ill-equipped to combat and defeat cyber warfare by friends and foes. In the arcane world of espionage and counter-espionage we are still ranked as amateurs. The SSA attack was a wake-up call for SA’s entire intelligence machinery which is in serious need of a complete overhaul.
Farouk Araie, Benoni
READER LETTER | SA is ill-equipped to combat and defeat cyber warfare
The headline report in Sunday World dated October 1, claiming CIA and MI6 penetration of the State Security Agency, is extremely disturbing. A hacking of this magnitude deserves to be probed at the highest level of governance.
An intrusion of this nature has grave manifestations for our relations with the US and the UK. History reminds us that it was the CIA that alerted apartheid intelligence on Nelson Mandela’s movements on August 5 1962, that led to his arrest.
The US and her compliant allies rely heavily on technical means rather than human espionage. CIA involvement in Southern Africa has been active for over 75 years. During the Cold War, the CIA had more than 40 deep cover operatives working at the US embassyin SA; it probably still happens today.
The hacking of the State Security Agency just before the Brics summit was a golden moment to snatch critical communication and policy information of those five pivotal nations.
It is highly probable the hackers ofthe CIA/MI6 were searching for evidence regarding the Lady R saga, details of Russian alliance with SA, I ran’s bid for Brics membership, strategic trade agreements with Brics and its efforts at de-dollarisation.
We are hopelessly ill-equipped to combat and defeat cyber warfare by friends and foes. In the arcane world of espionage and counter-espionage we are still ranked as amateurs. The SSA attack was a wake-up call for SA’s entire intelligence machinery which is in serious need of a complete overhaul.
Farouk Araie, Benoni