NSA ‘Mistake’ May Have Allowed Hack

An investigation into the reported breach of the National Security Agency is looking at the possibility that an employee or contractor may have accidentally left access to sophisticated—and secret—hacking tools available on a remote worker’s computer three years ago, Reuters reports. Having done so would have put the tools at risk of being found by the Russian hackers believed to be behind the attack. Last month, the tools were leaked on public websites by a group called the Shadow Brokers, enabling hackers all over the world to utilize them. It’s possible, though as of yet unclear, that the operative intentionally made the tools vulnerable to exposure.