Incident
incident:vodafone_greece_wiretapping_affair
Also: Athens affair, Greek Watergate, Vodafone Greece hack
Covert compromise of Vodafone Greece’s telecommunications infrastructure that intercepted calls involving senior Greek officials and other targets.
Covert compromise of Vodafone Greece’s telecommunications infrastructure that intercepted calls involving senior Greek officials and other targets.
“the biggest telecoms provider illegal wiretapping scandal ever seen”
“There’s a reason this case has been called the Greek Watergate.”
| Direction | Predicate | Other entity | Origin | EP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Vodafone Greece | Explicit | 64 |
| outgoing | COMPROMISES | Vodafone Greece | Explicit | 64 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Vodafone Greece wiretapping malware | Explicit | 64 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | AXE | Explicit | 64 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | shadow phones | Explicit | 64 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | wiretapping | Explicit | 64 |
| outgoing | INVOLVES | Skyship 600 | Attributed | 64 |
| incoming | ASSOCIATED_WITH | National Security Agency | Attributed | 64 |
| incoming | ASSOCIATED_WITH | William Basil | Uncertain | 64 |
| incoming | MENTIONS | The Athens Affair | Explicit | 64 |
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair INVOLVES Vodafone Greece
The wiretapping affair involved Vodafone Greece’s telecom systems and network.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“The Vodafone systems had the malware installed in two of their central offices and four of their switches”
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair COMPROMISES Vodafone Greece
The hackers gained access to Vodafone Greece’s systems and used them to conduct illegal wiretaps.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“Whoever did this essentially hacked their way into Vodafone’s systems and secretly activated this software.”
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair INVOLVES Vodafone Greece wiretapping malware
The affair involved deeply embedded rogue software that Ericsson identified as malware.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“Ericsson came to the conclusion this is malware, deeply imbedded, sophisticated rogue software”
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair INVOLVES AXE
The malware was installed on Ericsson AXE exchange devices used by Vodafone Greece.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“These AXE devices were exchanges that Vodafone Greece used.”
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair INVOLVES shadow phones
The intercepted calls were routed to fourteen shadow cell-phone lines used by the hackers.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“hackers had a total of fourteen shadow cell phone lines which would pick up and listen to any of the phones that were on that list”
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair INVOLVES wiretapping
The affair involved illegal wiretapping of 106 cell-phone numbers, including senior Greek officials.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“Whoever put it there was listening in to calls of 106 cell phone numbers.”
National Security Agency ASSOCIATED_WITH Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair
James Bamford alleged that the NSA obtained Greek permission to enter the telecom system for Olympic security and later used the operation to monitor Greek officials; this is an attributed, contested account.
Attributed Confidence 88% · James Bamford EP 64 Details
“they got the permission from the Greek government to come in and do the bugging.”
“now they’re secretly turning it on the Greek government; they’re turning it on the prime minister, his wife.”
William Basil ASSOCIATED_WITH Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair
Greek authorities reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Basil as a suspected CIA agent involved in the Vodafone wiretapping attack; his precise role remained unresolved.
Uncertain Confidence 90% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“the Greek government had issued an international arrest warrant for William Basil as a suspected CIA agent working out of the US embassy in Athens.”
Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair INVOLVES Skyship 600
A participant claimed that the Skyship 600 was operating in Athens while the wiretapping was taking place and had equipment capable of intercepting phone calls from the air.
Attributed Confidence 72% · Spkr2 EP 64 Details
“at the same time this wiretapping was going on there was a massive blimp”
The Athens Affair MENTIONS Vodafone Greece wiretapping affair
The article The Athens Affair discussed the ADAE report and the technical details of the Vodafone wiretapping case.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 64 Details
“there is a fascinating article in the IEEE Spectrum, a technical magazine, which goes over this ADAE report. It’s called The Athens Affair”