Edward Snowden recently revealed that the NSA has the capability of infiltrating pretty much any cell network from anywhere around the world. The agency takes advantage of flaws in security, which is no real revelation - as it is pretty standard hacker practice to gain access.

The operation, in the agency, is known as AURORAGOLD and information about this system was included in the website The Intercept and was provided by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. The information is revealed the current week.

According to the document, the operation spies on allies of the United States as well as it hostile countries. It not only steals information out of the networks but also introduces new flaws into the communication systems so that they become weak and could easily be tapped into. The Intercept reported the leak and called it a ‘controversial tactic’.

Codenamed AURORAGOLD, the covert operation has monitored the content of messages sent and received by more than 1,200 email accounts associated with major cellphone network operators, intercepting confidential company planning papers that help the NSA hack into phone networks.

One high-profile surveillance target is the GSM Association, an influential U.K.-headquartered trade group that works closely with large U.S.-based firms including Microsoft, Facebook, AT&T, and Cisco, and is currently being funded by the U.S. government to develop privacy-enhancing technologies.

Source: Beta Wired and The Intercept