Hacking Team, the Italian group which specialises on the sale of surveillance devices and hacking technology to governments in many countries, has been exposed because of a system hack.
The hackers are unidentified. They infiltrated the group's database, making confidential transactions open to the public. Screencaps of proof of sales to private companies and countries like Sudan have made their way to Twitter.
The leaked files amount to a total of 400 GB, and those that have been released online earlier show correspondence and contracts with "repressive regimes" (like Kazahkstan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, among others).
Hacking Team has once denied that it sold any technology to such countries. User @evacide tweeted a screencap of a document proving a sale of Euro-wire transfer to Sudan in 2012.
The group has also denied allegations that it sells intrusive software to private companies. But the leaked files showed it did, in December 2014. The RCS Exploit software has been sold to some companies in Brazil.
Christian Pozzi, who founded Hacking Team, said on Twitter that the contents of the leaked files, especially those concerning the group's clients and transactions, are not true. Lists of Hacking Team's purported clients have been posted in Pastebin. Pozzi said the team is coordinating with authorities to address the issue.
Hacking Team is a mysterious group that caters to governments and security watchdogs. It supplies surveillance and hacking technology. Two years ago, it has been rumoured to convince the FBI into availing its services.
Recently, major hacking incidences have been reported in different countries. The United States' government officials have had confidential information leaked as a result of a hack done by a group of Chinese hackers.
Now, the hack on Hacking Team raises alarm regarding cyber security. If an organisation that specialises in hacking has its security compromised, what could it mean for other databases? More importantly, it posts a great risk of acquiring harmful tools for web use.
Hacking Team is one of the world's best-known providers of hacking and tracking technology. It has described itself as offering "effective, easy-to-use offensive technology to the worldwide law enforcement and intelligence communities".
