What the hell can be done with this trinity?

From the "Spiegel" article

If all else fails, the NSA and its allies resort to brute force:

1. They hack their target's computers/ 2. ​​ They hack Internet routers to get to the secret encryption/ 3. T ​​ hey intercept computers on the way to their targets, open them and insert spy gear before they even reach their destination.

Ok. Nothing new. ​ But what the hell can be done with this trinity? ​​