NSA contractor indicted for stealing more than 50TB of government secrets

Former National Security Agency contractor Harold Martin was indicted today on 20 criminal counts for stealing government documents and data in his capacity as a government contractor at Booz Allen Hamilton and other consultancies, according to Reuters. Each of the 20 charges carries with it a sentence of up to 10 years. Despite obvious similarities to whistleblower Edward Snowden, who also worked as a NSA contractor employed by Booz Allen Hamilton, the government is not saying what whether 52-year-old Martin actually did anything with the classified info he took. Martin’s arrest was first made public last October.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that Martin may have stolen up to 50TB of classified data, which would make it the largest trove of government secrets ever stolen. US officials allege that some of that data included at least 75 percent of an elite hacking toolset used by the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations (TAO). That would make Martin’s trove of classified data highly valuable, as TAO is tasked with developing exploits for foreign espionage.

The indictment says that Martin’s trove of stolen data also included documents from the CIA, the US Cyber Command, and the National Reconnaissance Office. It was allegedly all kept on computers and drives at Martin’s Glen Burnie, Maryland home. Martin was able to do this because of the security clearances granted to him as a contractor with at least seven different government agencies, work he began back in 1993 after serving in the US Navy, Reuters says. Martin is set to appear before a federal judge in Baltimore next week on Tuesday, February 14th.