The government may have used compromised software for up to three years, exposing national security secrets to foreign spies, according to lawmakers and security experts.
Observers increasingly believe the software defect derived from an encryption “backdoor” created by the National Security Agency. Foreign hackers likely re-purposed it for their own snooping purposes. The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the matter, but specialists and former government officials say confidentiality concerns might prevent the public from ever knowing if a breach occurred.
