A major telecom scandal rocked Greece in 2004, linking Vodafone to unauthorized wiretaps on high-profile officials. The investigation reveals a chilling intersection of cyber espionage and personal tragedy, particularly surrounding the mysterious death of a network employee. The podcast also discusses the dark evolution of wiretapping from manual techniques to sophisticated digital breaches. It dives into the ethical dilemmas posed by government surveillance during the Athens Olympics, highlighting the shadows lurking in global telecommunications.
The NSA collaborated with Greece during the 2004 Olympics to provide intelligence, leading to the discovery of wiretapping malware on Vodafone Greece's systems.
The mysterious death of Costas Salikidis, a Vodafone Greece employee, raised suspicions of foul play and possible connections to the wiretapping discovery.
The investigation into the wiretapping attack revealed suspicious actions, lack of backups, and implicated a CIA agent, earning the case the nickname 'Greek Watergate'.
Deep dives
Illegal Wiretapping at the Olympics
Leading up to the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, there was concern about potential terrorist attacks at the event. Greece secretly agreed to let the NSA into the Greek telecom system during the games to provide intelligence and security. However, wiretapping was illegal in Greece at the time. Vodafone Greece, a major telecom company, unknowingly had malware installed on its systems that allowed unknown hackers to wiretap the country's top government officials, including the prime minister. The hackers used Ericsson's lawful intercept technology, which was installed on Vodafone Greece's systems, to carry out the wiretaps. The discovery of the malware led to fines for both Vodafone and Ericsson.
The Mysterious Death of Costas Salikidis
Costas Salikidis, the network planning manager for Vodafone Greece at the time, was involved in upgrading the telecom company's systems for the 2004 Olympics. Two months after the wiretapping was discovered, Salikidis was found dead in his apartment. While the death was ruled as suicide, new evidence suggested possible foul play. Salikidis' family questioned the suicide verdict, pointing to discrepancies in the autopsy report and evidence indicating that he may have discovered the wiretapping malware while conducting system upgrades. The family's appeals did not change the ruling, but they continued to seek a proper investigation into his death.
NSA Involvement and Repercussions
The Snowden documents revealed that the NSA routinely approached host countries of major events, such as the Olympics, to offer assistance and intelligence support. Greece, concerned about potential terrorist attacks, secretly agreed to allow the NSA access to its telecom system. This collaboration led to the discovery of the wiretapping malware on Vodafone Greece's systems. Both Vodafone Greece and Ericsson faced fines for their involvement. The timing of the wiretapping discovery and the passing of a new law regarding lawful intercept in Greece raised suspicions and speculation about possible connections.
The Wiretapping Investigation
After a preliminary parliamentary investigation into a wiretapping attack on Vodafone Greece, a thorough investigation lasting 11 months was conducted. Testimony and evidence were gathered, and it became clear that Vodafone Greece had unknowingly received malware through an upgrade package from Ericsson. Ericsson claimed that Vodafone Greece had knowledge of the malware, as someone from Vodafone Greece had signed off on its inclusion. However, evidence started disappearing, including signing sheets and access logs. The investigation revealed suspicious actions and lack of backups, raising questions about the thoroughness of the incident response team.
The Shadow Phones and the US Embassy
The investigation focused on tracing the signals from shadow phones that were used in the wiretapping attack. Signals from four Vodafone Greece antennas pointed to the US Embassy in Athens. They also found connections between the shadow phones and the NSA's US headquarters. The evidence mounted, and a CIA agent named William Basil, who worked out of the US Embassy, was implicated in the hack. Basil disappeared after retirement, and an international arrest warrant was issued. Costas, an employee involved in the investigation, died under suspicious circumstances. The case became known as the 'Greek Watergate', drawing parallels to the Richard Nixon Watergate scandal.
Vodafone Greece is the largest telecom provider in Greece. But in 2004 a scandal within the company would pin them to be top of the news cycle in Greece for weeks. Hackers got in the network. And what they were after took everyone by surprise.
Sponsors
Support for this episode comes from Okta. Learn more about how you can improve your security posture with the leader in identity-driven security at okta.com/darknet.
This episode is supported by PlexTrac. PlexTrac is the purple teaming platform and is designed to streamline reporting, tracking and attestation so you can focus on getting the real cybersecurity work done. Whether you're creating pen test reports on the red team, or tracking and remediating on the blue team, PlexTrac can help.
Support for this episode comes from Blinkist. They offer thousands of condensed non-fiction books, so you can get through books in about 15 minutes. Check out Blinkist.com/DARKNET to start your 7 day free trial and get 25% off when you sign up.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
