[1][2] They published several leaks containing hacking tools, including several zero-day exploits,[1] from the "Equation Group" who are widely suspected to be a branch of the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States.
[11][12] Matt Suiche quoted the following description of that character: "The Shadow Broker is an individual at the head of an expansive organization which trades in information, always selling to the highest bidder.
On April 14, 2017, The Shadow Brokers released, amongst other things, the tools and exploits codenamed: DANDERSPRITZ, ODDJOB, FUZZBUNCH, DARKPULSAR, ETERNALSYNERGY, ETERNALROMANCE, ETERNALBLUE, EXPLODINGCAN and EWOKFRENZY.
[30][31] James Bamford along with Matt Suiche speculated[32] that an insider, "possibly someone assigned to the [NSA's] highly sensitive Tailored Access Operations", stole the hacking tools.
[33][34] In October 2016, The Washington Post reported that Harold T. Martin III, a former contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton accused of stealing approximately 50 terabytes of data from the National Security Agency (NSA), was the lead suspect.
As US intelligence agencies were contemplating counter-attacks, the Shadow Brokers code release was to be seen as a warning: "Retaliate for the D.N.C., and there are a lot more secrets, from the hackings of the State Department, the White House and the Pentagon, that might be spilled as well.