Over the last few months we have learned quite a bit about the National Security Agency. It has already been criticized for its data mining of phone records. Now we are finding out how much they have been using technology to spy on other countries.

The NSA has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers worldwide in order to spy on various agencies and even provide a path to launch cyberattacks. Although much of this software has been implanted through computer networks, the agency has also developed sophisticated methods to infiltrate computers that were previously impervious to hacking.

Some of the hardware looks like something from a James Bond movie. One device looks like a normal USB plug but has a tiny transceiver buried in it. This allows the NSA to penetrate systems using radio frequencies. They now can tap into computers and networks that could not be accessed before.

The NSA targets are supposed to be our enemies. That would be the Chinese Army, which our government has already accused of launching digital probes and attacks on American industrial and military targets to steal secrets and information. The program has also targeted Russian military networks as well as systems used by the Mexican police and drug cartels.

The news reports about NSA spying always end with the assurance that this spyware and radio frequency technology has never been used within the United States. If you believe that, then you are welcome to that belief and I hope you sleep well. I have my doubts that all of this sophisticated technology is only used outside our borders.

An agency spokeswoman explains that they only use this technology against “valid foreign intelligence targets” and “do not use foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies.” We can only hope that is true. Congress is attempting to provide more oversight by requiring the NSA to provide unclassified reports. Let’s see what they find.