NSA contracts for exploits

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

Copies of contracts containing any of the following keywords or phrases: "CNO", "CNA", "CND", "CNE", "computer network exploitation", "computer network defense", "computer network attack", "computer network operations", "exploits" and/or "implants", and related services over the past 5 years. If retrieving the contracts themselves is too burdensome please provide a list of contracts.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Heather Akers-Healy

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Sept. 19, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

This is in response to your letter regarding request number 74971. I would like to narrow the request to only include contracts from Raytheon Company at their Salt Lake City and Falls Church, VA offices. Those addresses are as follows:

2755 E. Cottonwood Pkwy
Suite 600
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

7700 Arlington Blvd
Falls Church, VA 22042

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Heather Akers-Healy

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Sept. 19, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #74971.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Sept. 19, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #74971.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Sept. 19, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #74971.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter serves to appeal the determination that I do not qualify for a fee waiver on request number 74971A.

I am making this request in the public interest, and as a member of the news media. 
I am a trained paralegal with a background in legal research. I have established a project at MuckRock looking into the activities of the NSA and other intelligence agencies. Despite the short time I have been making and publishing requests through MuckRock, this project has garnered international media attention and was recently written up in Forbes. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/runasandvik/2013/11/26/illuminating-the-united-states-billion-dollar-intelligence-budget-project-spylighter-documents-surveillance-technology-used-by-the-nsa/) The Forbes article was covered in several other media outlets, and even reported in Spanish. (http://www.desdeabajo.info/actualidad/internacional/item/23165-spylighter-documenta-la-compra-de-tecnolog%C3%ADa-de-vigilancia-masiva-por-parte-de-la-nsa.html) I have an ongoing relationship with Runa Sandvik, a well-known journalist and technologist who wrote the article at Forbes.

I have also written at other media outlets about documents received from previous requests to the NSA (http://www.occupy.com/article/why-we-need-whistleblowers).

My first successful request to the NSA for contracts with Vupen was widely reported. There was significant interest in the fact that the NSA was purchasing exploits services from a foreign contractor. A few examples of press regarding that release are below:


Threatpost: http://threatpost.com/nsa-bought-exploit-service-from-vupen-contract-shows

Gawker: http://gawker.com/nsa-paid-french-hackers-for-software-exploits-1341604032

The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/17/nsa_vupen/
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Information Week: http://www.informationweek.com/security/government/nsa-contracted-with-zero-day-vendor-vupe/240161389

Computing: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2295155/nsa-bought-zero-day-vulnerabilities-from-security-company-vupen

Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/09/17/nsa_paid_french_hacker_company_vupen_for_software_exploits.html

RT: http://rt.com/usa/nsa-vupen-exploit-hack-978/

Mashable: http://mashable.com/2013/09/17/nsa-french-hacking-tools-vupen/

The Hacker News: http://thehackernews.com/2013/09/nsa-bought-hacking-tools-from-vupen.html
The Daily Dot: http://www.dailydot.com/politics/nsa-malware-vupen/

Spiegel: http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/nsa-kauft-infos-ueber-sicherheitsluecken-von-vupen-a-922765.html

The information sought does contribute to the public understanding and is in the public interest. 
With the publishing of the Snowden materials and the surrounding media coverage, the past year has demonstrated a significant increase in the public’s interest in the activities of the NSA and other intelligence agencies. The release of details regarding the NSA’s “black budget” has been one of the biggest stories to break this past year. It is in the public interest to understand how that money is being spent, and the relationship of the NSA with its private contractors.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this appeal.

Sincerely,

Heather Akers-Healy