- Hackers stole 182GB of Protei data, including years of email correspondence
- Protei creates DPI and SORM surveillance tools for governments and telecom operators around the world
- Attackers defaced site, signaling opposition to Russia’s surveillance ecosystem
Protei, a Russian company suspected of selling surveillance equipment to nation-states, was recently hacked and gigabytes of company data stolen.
An unknown individual (or entity) broke into Protei on or around November 8 and defaced the site. Shortly after, they shared a copy of the stolen data with DDoSecrets, a nonprofit transparency organization that indexes leaked, hacked, or otherwise exposed data in the public interest, and is often compared to WikiLeaks for publishing large data sets involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations.
The copy is 182GB in size and includes email correspondence “going back years.”
Hacktivism
Protei is a Russian technology and telecommunications company, known for building core network systems, deep packet inspection tools, and “Safe City” surveillance platforms. It sells software and hardware solutions to mobile operators and government-linked customers in Russia and abroad, and also develops systems associated with SORM, Russia’s lawful interception framework.
Since this solution allows authorities to monitor communications, Protei is often described as part of Russia’s surveillance ecosystem.
The identity of the attackers is unknown, but they appear to be hacktivists. While the site was defaced, it contained a message that read: “another IPR/SORM provider bites the dust.”
SORM is currently used in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Nicaragua and Cuba. Telcos and ISPs can install it on their equipment, giving government agencies the ability to listen to calls, read text messages, and monitor web browsing data.
DPI (deep packet inspection) devices serve as censorship tools, allowing telecommunications companies to filter web traffic and selectively block access to different sites.
Broadly speaking, Protei is a Russian company, but it operates out of Jordan and claims to have over 400 customers worldwide. These customers are supposedly located in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Europe.
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