The online sales site eBay can sometimes leave products for sale that are a bit surprising and, above all, confidential. Matthias Marx, a German researcher, was able to get hold of a briefcase containing devices for recording fingerprints and performing iris scans, all for the modest sum of $68, after some negotiation.
However, upon receiving the case, Matthias Marx realized that the devices received contained much more than it appeared. On the memory cards of the various tools, the researcher was able to retrieve the names, photos, fingerprints and iris scans of 2,632 people.
Terrorist and wanted person data
According to information obtained by the New York Times, most of the people 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 United States government.
The device, called the Secure Electronic Enrollment Kit (or SEEK II), was reportedly last used in 2012 in Afghanistan. However, it’s hard to understand how the tool ended up on eBay. It would have been sold by Rhido Trade, a Texas company specializing in selling surplus equipment. However, the company treasurer told the New York Times that this SEEK II had been purchased at a government equipment auction.
Now one thing is certain: the possession of this device by an individual worries the US Department of Defense.
Analyze Device Faults
The spokesperson also invited owners of such devices to return them to the department for further analysis. 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 of the devices were also purchased on eBay, for less than $200 each.
The organization’s goal was to test these devices for flaws, particularly after the Taliban’s resumption of Afghanistan and the departure of US and NATO troops.
The different researchers wanted to know if the Taliban had been able to get hold of these tools from the American army and, above all, what level of protection they offered over the data, to prevent them from having access to the information related to the facilities they had worked on. with American troops. Indeed, the Taliban had 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 a hacker event in Berlin before removing all data that can formally identify people.
Source: BFM TV
