UK hacked routers to monitor Pakistan communications data: Snowden

Documents leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden appear to show that the UK government acquired vast amounts of communications data from inside Pakistan by secretly hacking into routers manufactured by US company Cisco.

In an interview with the BBC's Panorama programme, the whistleblower said that British spies can hack into phones remotely with a simple text message and make audio recordings or take photos without owners knowing.

Snowden did not suggest that either GCHQ or the NSA were interested in mass-monitoring of citizens' private communications but said both agencies had invested heavily in technology allowing them to hack smartphones. "They want to own your phone instead of you," he said.

Snowden claimed that GCHQ used a series of interception tools called "Smurf Suite", after the blue cartoon characters, The Smurfs.

"Nosey Smurf" enabled spies to switch on a smartphone´s microphone even if the phone was off, he claimed.

Other programmes used by GCHQ were nicknamed "Tracker Smurf" and "Dreamy Smurf", which allows phones to be switched on and off remotely, Snowden said.

He said the text message sent by GCHQ to gain access to the phone would not be noticed by its owner.

"It's called an 'exploit'," he said.

"When it arrives at your phone it's hidden from you. It doesn't display. You paid for it but whoever controls the software owns the phone," he added.

The BBC said the UK government declined to comment in line with usual policy on intelligence matters.

Snowden, who has been charged by the US with espionage and theft of government property after leaking documents to the media about digital espionage, has been living in exile in Russia since June 2013.