Germany Looks Into Skype Surveillance
Ah yes, as technology advances, so do surveillance techniques. So this should surprise no one - should it?
Classified documents from September 2007, leaked last week by the German political "Pirate Party," show one particular system that Bavarian police could have in place by February, and its high operating cost.
The system, provided by a company known as Digitask, is called a "Skype Capture Unit," and is essentially a malware client installed onto the surveillance target. It intercepts Skype voice and chat data, purportedly offering real-time streaming of hijacked content. Digitask also offered the police the ability to intercept and decrypt SSL-based communication with a "man-in-the-middle" style attack. Rental of these services would cost the Bavarian Police force €6,000 per month per instance. A further €2,500 fee would also be incurred per installation.
The document does not definitively say if this is, in fact, the system to be used. It contains language that could be construed to mean there are other companies contracted for similar services by the Bavarian police.
Classified documents from September 2007, leaked last week by the German political "Pirate Party," show one particular system that Bavarian police could have in place by February, and its high operating cost.
The system, provided by a company known as Digitask, is called a "Skype Capture Unit," and is essentially a malware client installed onto the surveillance target. It intercepts Skype voice and chat data, purportedly offering real-time streaming of hijacked content. Digitask also offered the police the ability to intercept and decrypt SSL-based communication with a "man-in-the-middle" style attack. Rental of these services would cost the Bavarian Police force €6,000 per month per instance. A further €2,500 fee would also be incurred per installation.
The document does not definitively say if this is, in fact, the system to be used. It contains language that could be construed to mean there are other companies contracted for similar services by the Bavarian police.
Don't forget that AV companies have always been evasive on whether or not their products would detect such policeware. Not that any of us has anything to hide, right?
