Several European researchers were able to acquire databases from the American army including names, fingerprints or iris scanners. Lots are often offered at ridiculous sums.
The online sales site eBay can sometimes leave products for sale that are a little surprising, and above all confidential. Matthias Marx, a German researcher was able to get his hands on a briefcase containing devices to record fingerprints and perform iris scanners, all for the modest sum of 68 dollars, after negotiation.
Upon receiving the case, Matthias Marx realized, however, that the devices received contained much more than it appeared. In the memory cards of the various tools, the researcher was thus able to recover the names, photos, fingerprints and iris scanners of 2,632 people.
Data of terrorists and wanted persons
According to information obtained by the New York Times, most of the individuals identified in the database turned out to be known terrorists or wanted persons. Other names on the list have been identified as people who worked for the US government.
The device, named the Secure Electronic Enrollment Kit (or SEEK II), was reportedly last used in 2012 in Afghanistan. However, it is difficult to understand how the tool ended up on eBay. It would have been sold by Rhido Trade, a Texas company specializing in the sale of surplus equipment. However, the company’s treasurer told the New York Times that this SEEK II had been purchased at a government equipment auction.
One thing is now certain: the possession of this device by an individual worries the American Department of Defense.
“Because we have not reviewed the information contained in these devices, the department is unable to confirm the authenticity of the data and comment on it,” said Patrick S. Ryder, spokesperson for the department of defense.
Analyze device faults
The spokesperson also invited holders of such devices to return them to the department in order to be able to carry out further analyses. Because in fact, it is not one but six biometric capture devices that have been recovered by Matthias Marx and the Chaos Computer Club, one of the most influential hacker organizations in Europe. All the devices were also bought on eBay, at less than 200 dollars each.
The objective of the organization was to analyze these devices to see if they contained defects, in particular after the resumption of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the departure of American and NATO troops.
The various researchers wanted to know if the Taliban had been able to get their hands on these tools of the American army and especially what level of protection they offered on the data, in order to prevent them from having access to information concerning premises. having worked with American troops. The Taliban had indeed been able to recover the biometric data of thousands of Afghans with the HIIDE tool.
Matthias Marx and his colleagues have no plans to return the material to the Department of Defense at this time. They will first present their research at an event for hackers in Berlin before deleting all data that can formally identify individuals.
