This article was published on August 18, 2016

We matched the most ridiculously-named NSA malware to GIFs so you don’t have to


We matched the most ridiculously-named NSA malware to GIFs so you don’t have to

After the NSA hack earlier this week, the hackers — ‘Shadow Group’ — released a treasure trove of free files obtained from offshoot ‘Equation Group.’ We’re still not sure who’s behind the hack — Snowden thinks it’s Russia — or how up-to-date the information is (it’s said to be from 2010-2013), but right now, none of this matters.

We just managed to see the names of some of these exploits, implants and tools used by NSA hackers and let me tell you, it’s hilarious. Rather than just share them, we felt it appropriate to attempt to match them to GIFs that come up when we searched the names in Giphy.

Yes, all of these names are real.

EGREGIOUS BLUNDER

WOBBLY LLAMA

EPIC BANANA

EXTRA BACON

ZESTY LEEK

DURABLE NAPKIN

PANDA ROCK

This is just the beginning there are easily a dozen more that would have made anyone on the other end of these names scratch their head. All told, the NSA used the word ‘banana’ in at least four tools. With the emphasis on phallic fruit in its naming conventions, I’m going to make an educated guess that it’s a mostly male department.

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.