The Italian company Hacking Team, which develops and distributes spyware and hacking tools – specifically to law enforcement and government agencies in general – was breached over the weekend.
Even hackers can be hacked.
A company that provides spyware and malware to government agencies has been breached by hackers who appear to have most, if not all, of the company's corporate data in their hands.
After the hacking of the company's Twitter account, Hacking Team, a Milan-based company, was left open and the public could now download data stored on its server. On Sunday night, several tweets demonstrated the widespread attack on the company's systems, exposing some of its transactions with various governments.
The hackers, whose identities are still unknown, released a torrent containing over 400GB of files. The leaked data includes emails and the company's financial details.
The Italian company develops surveillance technologies for governments and the private sector. The names and companies have never been officially disclosed. The company develops spyware and malware that can infiltrate a range of platforms.
The US and UK often work with companies like Hacking Team for technological support, but the company is also said to support several repressive regimes.
Some of the documents show that the company offers its services in countries such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt.
A tweet posted on Sunday by Eva Galperin, a global policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, published a list of countries said to be customers of the Italian company. The list includes Morocco, Panama, Mexico, but also Australia, Germany and the United States.
The company had stated that it had never sold spyware and malware to Sudan, but files leaked from the company's systems show just the opposite.
A file shows that the company invoiced the Sudanese government for €480,000 for “remotely controlled” systems.
