NSA contractor arrested in possible theft of secret codes used to hack into foreign governments

An NSA contractor from Maryland was arrested for theft of computer codes.

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A National Security Agency contractor was "secretly arrested" by the FBI on the belief that he stole and disclosed computer codes used to hack the networks of foreign governments of countries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, The New York Times reports. Reuters adds the contractor has been charged with "theft of government property [and the] unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials" and that the information he obtained is "critical to [a] wide variety of national security issues."

The contractor was confirmed by Reuters to be Harold Thomas Martin II, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, though The New York Times did not name him in their report.

Martin reportedly worked for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton; if he indeed is responsible for stealing the classified codes, it will be the second time in three years a Booz Allen Hamilton contractor has taken confidential information from the NSA, following the leak by Edward Snowden in 2013.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.