Hussein Malla / AP“We have examples where supply chains were compromised in very elaborate, long lasting, super sophisticated ways for espionage. This may be the first supply chain attack that actually really deserves to be called a supply chain attack,” said Thomas Rid, a Johns Hopkins University professor who studies the history of intelligence operations. “Supply chain compromises are tried and true in intelligence work,” said Harding, who is the director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I literally cannot think of a single example that is unclassified.”But she said the combined scope, planning and violence behind the pager and walkie-talkie operation made it a unique incident in the history of supply chain compromises. While the attack in Lebanon broke with spy agencies’ tradition by using a supply chain for an attack rather than for espionage, it could benefit Israel’s military objectives and have larger political implications.

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Persons: It’s, Hussein Malla, ”, Thomas, Israel, Icom, pagers, Emily Harding, Harding, “, Edward Snowden, There’s, Fidel Castro, Yahya Ayyash, it’s Organizations: NBC News, Johns Hopkins University, Lebanon’s Telecommunications Ministry, New York Times, CIA, U.S . National Security Council, Intelligence, National Security, Technology, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Crypto, Washington Post, ZDF, National Security Agency, NSA, FBI, Australian Federal Police Locations: Israel, Beirut, Swiss, Cuban, Lebanon