Narus Inc. was a
software company
A software company is a company whose primary products are various forms of software, software technology, distribution, and software product development. They make up the software industry.
Types
There are a number of different types of soft ...
and
vendor
In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms ...
of
big data analytics for
cybersecurity
Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, t ...
.
History
In 1997, Ori Cohen, Vice President of Business and Technology Development for
VDONet, founded Narus with Stas Khirman in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Presently, they are employed with
Deutsche Telekom AG and are not members of Narus' Executive Team. In 2010, Narus became a subsidiary of
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
, located in
Sunnyvale, California. In 2015, Narus was sold to
Symantec.
Management
In 2004, Narus employed former Deputy Director of the
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collect ...
,
William Crowell as a director. From the Press Release announcing this:
Narus Software
Narus software primarily captures various
computer network
A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are ...
traffic in
real-time and analyzes results.
Before
9/11 Narus built
carrier-grade tools to analyze IP network traffic for billing purposes, to prevent what Narus called "revenue leakage". Post-9/11 Narus added more "semantic monitoring abilities" for surveillance.
Mobile
Narus provided
Telecom Egypt with
deep packet inspection
Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a type of data processing that inspects in detail the data being sent over a computer network, and may take actions such as alerting, blocking, re-routing, or logging it accordingly. Deep packet inspection is oft ...
equipment, a content-filtering technology that allows network managers to inspect, track and target content from users of the Internet and mobile phones, as it passes through routers. The national telecommunications authorities of both
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
are global Narus customers.
Controversies
AT&T wiretapping room
Narus supplied the software and hardware used at
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
wiretapping rooms, according to whistleblowers
Thomas Drake, and
Mark Klein.
[What was the Israeli involvement in collecting U.S. communications intel for NSA? The Marker, Haaretz, The Associated Press and Reuters, Jun. 8, 2013 at http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.528529 .retrieved on 7-18-13]
See also
*
Carnivore (software)
*
Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act
The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), also known as the "Digital Telephony Act," is a United States wiretapping law passed in 1994, during the presidency of Bill Clinton (Pub. L. No. 103-414, 108 Stat. 4279, codified at 47 ...
*
Computer surveillance
*
ECHELON
* ''
Hepting vs. AT&T'', the 2006 lawsuit in which the
Electronic Frontier Foundation alleges
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
allowed the
NSA to tap the entirety of its clients' Internet and
voice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...
communications using Narus equipment.
*
Lincoln (surveillance)
*
Room 641A
Room 641A is a telecommunication interception facility operated by AT&T for the U.S. National Security Agency, as part of its warrantless surveillance program as authorized by the Patriot Act. The facility commenced operations in 2003 and its ...
*
SIGINT
Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...
*
Total Information Awareness
*
Verint Systems
References
External links
Wired News article(AT&T whistleblower Mark Klein discusses Narus STA 6400)
*
Frontline Flash Video "Spying on the Home Front"TV documentary originally aired on PBS 15 May 2007 with a section entitled "The NSA's Eavesdropping at AT&T" with the story of Mark Klein exposing NSA wiretapping with a secure room and Narus STA 6400 at an AT&T facility in San Francisco, CA
{{Boeing
Software companies established in 1997
Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Companies based in Sunnyvale, California
Defense companies of the United States
Computer security software companies
2010 mergers and acquisitions
2015 mergers and acquisitions
Boeing mergers and acquisitions
Gen Digital acquisitions
Software companies of the United States