Hackers have been hacked

LocalChamp:
Bayelsa Governor hires world’s most ruthless hackers for N100M to hack computers, phones in Nigeria

July 9, 2015 Ogala Emmanuel

The Bayelsa state government paid close to one hundred million naira to an Italian firm, Hacking Team, to hack computers and phones in Nigeria, new information emerging from the firm’s leaked internal data has shown.

Hacking Team, notorious for equipping governments with tools to hack citizens’ computers and phones, was itself hacked Sunday night and 415 gigabyte of internal data leaked to the public.

Researchers have been pouring through the leaked documents since it was first leaked Sunday night, throwing up many shocking details of the firm’s secret dealings with Bayelsa state and other repressive governments, including Sudan, Russia, and Bahrain.

Documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES show that the Bayelsa government, a small state in Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta, paid Hacking Team N98 million to carry out internet attacks, in what appears to be the most ambitious hacking project by a Nigerian state government.

The contract was signed in late 2013, Hacking Team’s internal documents, leaked after the Sunday night hack attack on the company, show.

Details of the extent of the attacks Hacking Team carried out on behalf of the state is not clear at the moment.

The contract with the Bayelsa government is classed “intelligence ” – the same class with contracts the firm unlawfully held with Russia and Sudan.

The cost of Bayelsa government’s contract with the firm is equivalent to what the Russian government recently paid the firm for maintenance of its Remote Control System. And worth more than what Turkey, Columbia and Bahrain paid to the firm.

Hacking Team, now learning how it feels to have one’s privacy breached, is notorious for developing intrusive softwares for state clients who use them to hack citizen’s computers and smartphones. Hacking Team’s twitter account was hacked and used to announce the hack.

The firm claims its intrusion softwares – Remote Control Systems – are the most invasive and ruthless, with ability to compromise most operating systems, except iOS – but including jail-broken iOS.

In one video commercial, it boasted that its software could hack offline and encrypted computers and smartphones, even if the target was outside the government’s “monitoring domain”.

Hacking Team’s Remote Control Systems are more dangerous and intrusive than the WISE technology the Nigerian government bought from Israeli company, Elbit in 2013.

While WISE depended on transmitted data such as voice calls, social media postings, and number plates, Hacking Team specialized in software that had full capabilities to hack, compromise your gadget and silently steal stored data like SMS, Whatsapp messages, call records, and photos.

Galileo, one of the company’s most evil softwares, is also able to secretly take snapshots and record conversations of its victims.

Hacking Team is loathed by digital activists and freedom of expression advocates all over the world for helping oppressive regimes abuses citizens’ right to privacy and freedom of speech.

Reporters Without Borders listed the firm on its Enemies of the Internet index due to its primary surveillance tool, Da Vinci.

Few weeks ago, co-founder David Vincenzetti joked in emails about how bad a leak would be for Hacking Team. In one of the leaked internal emails, he described the firm’s product as the “evilest” technology ever developed on earth.

The hacking software is originally designed as a country-wide attack tool.

The intentions of the Bayelsa state government in purchasing the software is unclear at this time.

As at the time the Bayelsa state government acquired the software, the state was not known to be under any external cyber aggression.

But it’s governor, Seriake Dickson, was persecuting a citizen over critical Facebook comments.

It was also in the run-up to the 2015 general elections.

During the same period, PREMIUM TIMES and few other Nigerian news organisations believed to be critical of the former regime, led by Goodluck Jonathan, suffered several cyber attacks.

Mr. Jonathan is from Bayelsa state and enjoyed absolute loyalty from Mr. Dickson at the time.

Hacking Team did not sell its software directly to the Bayelsa state government. The transaction was channeled through an Israeli company, NICE, and then V&V Nigeria.
V&V, also Israeli-owned, is known to have close relationship with former Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
V&V is responsible for the supply of many government hacking tools in Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier this year exclusively reported how V&V won a N6 billion contract, back in 2010, for a N6 billion strategic GSM Tracking System for the Nigeria Police Force and expansion/upgrade of the existing system with Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service.

The Bayelsa Governor could not be reached to comment for this story.

His spokesperson, Daniel Iworiso-Markson did not answer or return calls seeking comment. He is also yet to respond to a text message sent to him. And so also is Dan Kikile, the state commissioner for information.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/186391-bayelsa-governor-hires-worlds-most-ruthless-hackers-for-n100m-to-hack-computers-phones-in-nigeriainvestigation-bayelsa-governor-hires-worlds-most-ruthless-hackers-for-n100m-to-hack-c.html

election on ground apc e ediot doin all things to subsidize bayelsa to Buhari. apc cn never suceed bayelsa.

OK

dustmalik:
So, when they failed to successfully bug Aso villa, this is what they have resorted to.
Buhari was right to have conducted a good sweep of Aso villa.
Jonathan has a hand in this, no doubt. I hope someone alerts Buhari of this development. He needs to take action against this.

If bugs were planted in Aso Rock, I trust Apc, they will not keep quiet.

The hunter has now become the hunted.

AZeD1:

Root Access == super user.
Having root access is like being Seun of Nairaland. You have unrestricted access to the operating system.
When you jail break your phone, you have unrestricted access to the hardware and operating system on your iPhone.

That can't be legal

Mediva:
yes u did something wrong.

OMG...Im sorry maam, what did I do?

If you believe this on first read then you can fall for anything.

old news
read it at pocket now.
the headline made it look as if the hackers were brought to nigeria
the hackers work for almost all african country.
the hackers got hacked by another group of hackers.
I don't know but my guts told me, now its telling me that those hackers maybe some how connected to boko boys and nigerian army.
and these guys sell info to the highest bidder.

Ishilove:

That can't be legal

Its legal in the US, illegal in the UK.

To me, its not illegal.. jail breaking is just a way to use apps not approved by Apple and do crazy things with your phone.

taofeeq137:


OMG...Im sorry maam, what did I do?

hahahahahahaha funny guy, don't mind me, I just like ur name

na lie oooooo. read ds story last week. it happened in Europe nd not even in Africa talkless of naija. mtcheew.

AZeD1:


Its legal in the US, illegal in the UK.

To me, its not illegal.. jail breaking is just a way to use apps not approved by Apple and do crazy things with your phone.

Oh okaay.

in all of these, no one deemed it fit to use these tools to track and hack boko haram's evil terrorism business. Like i always say, behind every terrorist organisation, there is always a government involvement. Govts have always been a problem to humanity, who runs the govts? HUMANS....

Mediva:
hahahahahahaha funny guy, don't mind me, I just like ur name

loool, thanks tho...but I smell sumfin, what aren't u telling me?

INTROVERT:
I don't understand why a state government would want to hack citizens phones when no be SSS.


anyways IOS is unhackable.

u so naive

Omg... Na dem hack my nokia 3310..

Werey ni awon people yi ooo






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1inEqPzO9U

They pride themselves as invincible but another has made them know no one has monopoly of knowledge. Na thief come thief from thief drama be this.
Dickson is just a 100% dick, nothing more nothing less.
Nonsense....

Picture, or i dont bliv it

DICKtator:
How would a government sign contract with illegal people?

Is it an ethical hacking company?

They should all be investigated and if found wanting, prosecuted

And what type of news is this?

Beer parlour journalism!!!

Its been in the news lately that Hacking Team were hacked, so i believe the newspaper got its information from the documents leaked from Hacking Team.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/07/massive-leak-reveals-hacking-teams-most-private-moments-in-messy-detail/
http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/06/technology/hacking-team-hacked/index.html

taofeeq137:


loool, thanks tho...but I smell sumfin, what aren't u telling me?

Lol smelling like what? nice pix tho

AZeD1:


Its legal in the US, illegal in the UK.

To me, its not illegal.. jail breaking is just a way to use apps not approved by Apple and do crazy things with your phone.

Jail-breaking, rooting is legal anywhere in the world. There is no argument about that. Afterall, it's your device, bought with your own money.
Jail-breaking, rooting can never be made illegal in any developed countries in the world, except, of course, countries where the government don't respect human rights, such as China, Iran, South Korea.

INTROVERT:
I don't understand why a state government would want to hack citizens phones when no be SSS.


anyways IOS is unhackable.

thats what they said
you don't know!!
Can you prove it ?
i guess NO

[size=18pt]GEJ Ihr Held ist eine stille Teufel. Ich habe das Gefühl , er hat eine Hand im Spiel . Gott strafe alle Feinde von Nigeria
[/size]
[s]OYA, QUOTE ME IF DEM BORN YOU WELL.... [/s]

INTROVERT:
I don't understand why a state government would want to hack citizens phones when no be SSS.


anyways IOS is unhackable.

The main reason I will always prefer the product well above any other. Not only classy, but quite safe and secure.

dustmalik:
So, when they failed to successfully bug Aso villa, this is what they have resorted to.
Buhari was right to have conducted a good sweep of Aso villa.
Jonathan has a hand in this, no doubt. I hope someone alerts Buhari of this development. He needs to take action against this.

Bayelsan government has no constitutional right to eavesdrop on Nigerian citizens. I hope the Federal government does something about this nonsense.

@ bolded


The transaction was carried out in 2013 . Read the story again
























Cry cry baby

Development is rising, if a state government can hire ruthless hackers to hack into any devices. is quite an extra mile

dustmalik:

Jail-breaking, rooting is legal anywhere in the world. There is no argument about that. Afterall, it's your device, bought with your own money.
Jail-breaking, rooting can never be made illegal in any developed countries in the world, except, of course, countries where the government don't respect human rights, such as China, Iran, South Korea.

Its your device but there are copyright laws and DRM laws. You need to read up on that.