Shadow Brokers' sample files include a 16-character tracking string identified in a Snowden document Credit: National Security Agency Documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden share a malware tracking code with several files released this week by hacking group Shadow Brokers, according to a news report. Shadow Brokers claimed they had hacked a cyberespionage team linked to the U.S. spy agency when they released a group of sample files earlier this week. Similarities between the Shadow Broker files and information in documents leaked by Snowden give credence to the claims by the anonymous hacking group. Fourteen files in the Shadow Brokers leak contain a 16-character string, “ace02468bdf13579,” that NSA operatives used to track their use of one malware program, The Intercept reported Friday. That tracking string was described in an NSA manual for implanting malware originally leaked by Snowden, The Intercept reported. That tracking string was tied to malware called Seconddate, allegedly designed to intercept web requests and redirect browsers to an NSA server, according to the story. Snowden’s leaks provided information on Seconddate, and the Shadow Broker files also include information on the malware, including a file titled SecondDate-3021.exe, The Intercept said. The Shadow Brokers have offered to sell the trove of supposed NSA files. One security expert suggested the NSA may have arranged the leak. “You’re talking about the world’s top intelligence agency here,” John Gunn, vice president of communications at VASCO Data Security, said by email. “I think it is much more likely that the tools were intentionally leaked and were being used — just as marked money is used — to trace criminal and state-sponsored hacking activity.” The leak confirms some information about the NSA that many security experts already knew, added Jonathan Sander, vice president at Lieberman Software, another security vendor. “We knew from Stuxnet and Snowden’s documents that they were engaging in cyberwarfare, and we knew that means they were developing malware to do it,” he said by email. “We knew that the NSA is a department of humans using technology, which means they are vulnerable to mistakes and attacks like all other humans using technology.” The leaks also show the NSA is doing good work, he added. “If anything, the universal agreement on the quality of the tradecraft which was stolen and its clear value on a black market should tell us that our tax dollars are getting quality results,” he said. Related content news Cisco adds AI features to AppDynamics On-Premises A new virtual appliance for Cisco's AppDynamics observability platform will give enterprise customers more deployment options as well as AI-driven capabilities for anomaly detection and root cause analysis, application security, and SAP monitori By Michael Cooney May 10, 2024 4 mins Network Management Software Network Monitoring news CHIPS Act to fund $285 million for semiconductor digital twins Plans call for building an institute to develop digital twins for semiconductor manufacturing and share resources among chip developers. By Andy Patrizio May 10, 2024 3 mins CPUs and Processors Data Center news Microsoft’s AI ambitions fuel $3.3 billion bet on Wisconsin data center The Mount Pleasant site was initially earmarked for a manufacturing plant operated by electronics giant Foxconn. By Sascha Brodsky May 10, 2024 6 mins Data Center news analysis Red Hat unveils image mode for its Linux distro New container image deployment method for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is aimed at helping enterprises streamline operations and management. By Maria Korolov May 09, 2024 5 mins Linux Networking PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe