by Nomad
One hacker's explosive information leak revealed the dark side of surveillance software and companies that sell them. It sends a warning about authoritarian regimes using anti-terrorism software to target opposition and human right activists.
In early July last year, a hacker who went by the name of Phineas Fisher claimed responsibility for an astounding information dump.
The Hacking Team Dump
In all, 500 GB of client files, contracts, financial documents, and internal emails of Milan-based surveillance company called Hacking Team were made available to the public.
The company sells sophisticated computer surveillance software to countries around the world, some nations with very doubtful human rights records.
It’s unclear exactly how much the hackers got their hands on, but judging from the size of the files, it’s certainly a large collection of internal files. A source who asked to speak anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, told me that based on the file names and folders in the leak, the hackers who hit Hacking Team "got everything."
So basically, a hacker hacked the Hacking Team. In doing so, he walked away with vital and incriminating information including emails between employees, a list of customers, which included the FBI.
He or she also managed to find the source code of the surveillance software itself. The whole kit and caboodle.
