Security News > 2020 > November > Swiss spies knew about Crypto AG compromise – and kept it from govt overseers for nearly 30 years

Swiss politicians only found out last year that cipher machine company Crypto AG was owned by the US and Germany during the Cold War, a striking report from its parliament has revealed.

Although Swiss spies themselves knew that Crypto AG's products were being intentionally weakened so the West could read messages passing over them, they didn't tell governmental overseers until last year - barely one year after the operation ended.

So stated the Swiss federal parliament in a report published yesterday afternoon, which has caused fresh raising of eyebrows over the scandal.

Switzerland's Delegation of Management Commissions, an oversight body, said in a statement: "If the legal framework allowed the Swiss intelligence service and foreign intelligence services to jointly use a company located in Switzerland to seek information on foreigners, such collaboration had a great political significance, which is why the DélCdG considers that it is regrettable that the Swiss political leaders were not informed until the end of 2019.".

Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey told The Register: "The Swiss seem to find themselves in a bit of a pickle. It appears that part of the government agencies knew, and benefitted from, what was undertaken by overseas intelligence agencies. However, whether the Swiss intelligence agencies were officially sanctioned to do this remains open to interpretation. Clearly people were worried about it as the records were sealed for such a long time."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/11/12/crypto_ag_swiss_parliament_report/