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Surveillance firm's client list is stolen and posted on Internet;
undercover police officers, Secret Service names revealed
By Bob Sullivan
MSNBC
Aug. 20 - Computer intruders have allegedly broken into the
online files of a Florida company that provides surveillance
technology to the U.S. military, federal agencies and local police
forces, and posted confidential information, including the names and
e-mail addresses of undercover police officers on a public Web site,
MSNBC.com has learned.
INFORMATION ABOUT UNDERCOVER narcotics officers, U.S. Secret
Service employees, Department of Defense special agents and hundreds
of other local and federal law enforcement workers was revealed when
the data from Audio Intelligence Devices Inc.'s files were posted on
the Internet.
The Florida-based private company sells highly specialized
video surveillance equipment and teaches spy courses to federal
agencies and local police forces in the United States, and to some
foreign governments.
Lon D. Guarino, Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Audio
Intelligence Devices did not answer questions about the incident, but
in an e-mail to MSNBC.com defended the company's security practices.
"Contrary to any recent reports, Audio Intelligence Devices is
confident in its current security practices and treats its customer
information with complete confidentiality," Guarino wrote. "We are
actively investigating the origin of the information in question at
this time."
MSNBC.com contacted each law enforcement official whose e-mail
address was taken from the AID files and listed on an Internet page -
349 in all. Of those who replied, none said they knew their
information had been made public until they were contacted by
MSNBC.com.
AID only sells to law enforcement workers, according to the
company's Web site. The list viewed by MSNBC.com was a Who's Who of
domestic and international law enforcement agencies, including the
U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, Sandia National Laboratories, Ministry
of Foreign Economic Relations in Uzbekistan, and the Montreal Police
Department.
Until recently, the site offered a Web form that allowed
agents to request equipment catalogs or information on spy classes.
It appears that a computer criminal managed to access the data
entered on the form by AID's customers. The form on AID's site is
currently disabled. A message on the site says: "The online catalog
request is temporarily unavailable."
UNDERCOVER DRUG COPS LISTED
The stolen data lists hundreds of names, addresses, job
titles, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of investigators, and in
some cases, details on the kind of equipment they were seeking to
buy. The data appeared on a Web site, Cryptome.org, earlier this
month. Site operator John Young says Cryptome.org is devoted to
publicizing various government efforts to monitor U.S. citizens. He
said an anonymous contributor sent him the data.
Young is a well-known First Amendment advocate and a popular
critic of government surveillance efforts. Young speculated that the
data may have been stolen and leaked by a competitor or former
employer, citing the often cutthroat nature of the spying business.
But it's not clear how the computer thieves got their hands on
AID's data. Young says that the anonymous contributor who tipped him
off about the file told him it was left up for grabs by AID,
available for download to anyone using simple File Transfer Protocol
software. The file is no longer available at AID's site, Young said.
The data doesn't include financially sensitive information
like credit card numbers.
But in some cases it includes names of undercover narcotics
detectives who rely on their anonymity in their everyday work.
"I wouldn't have wanted anyone to know I was working
narcotics," said one police officer, whose name was on the list. The
officer, who said he has since moved out of drug enforcement work,
was concerned that criminals might now know what kind of video
surveillance technologies law enforcement agents are using, and be
able to prepare counter-measures. "We certainly don't want the
frequencies to be out there. If they know how widespread it is, they
will probably start checking the frequencies."
Another narcotics detective, whose name was also on the list,
echoed those comments.
"This is a problem. Most people contacting AID are in
narcotics task force groups, or money laundering, where
confidentiality and undercover work go hand in hand," he said.
Most of the information in the file is available from public
sources such as main police phone numbers or street addresses.
A spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service said that agency's
employees who ended up on the list were technical staff, not
investigators. "There's nothing operationally sensitive there," he
said.
But some of the e-mail addresses, agents contacted by
MSNBC.com said, were designed for obscurity, and some may double as
network login names for government computer systems.
"This is very important as AID is a company that sells
intelligence equipment for law enforcement purposes," said one
officer who was named. "I would of hoped that a company such as AID
was working with a secure severer. I guess not."
Interviews with AID customers suggest that the data was stolen
within the past month or so - one customer whose information was
stolen indicated he'd only used the site a month ago. But other
customers who hadn't visited AID's Web page in nearly a year were
also listed in the stolen data, suggesting the text file represents
nearly a year's worth of AID Web site visitors.
PEEK AT SURVEILLANCE WORK
Young said he published the data in an effort to provide a
peek at the kind of surveillance operations U.S. government agencies
regularly perform. The data does provide an interesting snapshot.
Among the entries:
"Interested in up-dating our system. The Drug Task Force is looking
for a long range video surveillance camera. Similar to a spotting
scope with a video camera mounted to it, also with the ability to
record."
"I run a majors drug unit and have some money to spend on a variety
of equipment. We need a new wire, GPS tracking, Video recorders, and
even a new surveillance van. I worked with you guys when I last
worked dope. I need catalog etc."
"I plan on attending your courses relating to lock picking because I
use that in my present job on many occasions. I am also interested in
the audio courses and would like to get news and updates on those
areas as well. I need product support for a body bug manufactured by
you, is it possible to get service schematics, parts etc."
"I am member of 3-town drug task force. We're looking to
upgrade/purchase new body wire to be used by undercover officers for
safety purposes only (can't record in MA without warrant). Looking
for compact, wireless system for street level buys. Currently have 10-
year old body wire with large suitcase receiver. Looking to reduce
size and increase efficiency of receiver and come up with compact
(easy conceal) transmitter, preferably wireless one."
"We need to install some audio intelligence systems in Saudi Arabia.
Please send me the catalog. If SGT {removed} is not available direct
calls to SFC {removed}. I am well pleased with the products from your
company so far. Keep up the good work." "
"We have a persistent theft problem in our mill. We are looking for
covert cameras that are either capable of withstanding a severe
industrial environment or are cheap enough to be `disposable.' We
have significant RF to overcome yet hard wiring is difficult or
impossible in some situations. If you have any products to recommend
we would appreciate your feed back."
Other U.S. agencies requesting information from AID included
the U. S. Postal Inspection Service, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Customs Service, the
Bureau of Land Management, and the Drug Enforcement Administration
Internationally, catalog requesters included the Guam Police
Department, the British Consulate, the National Bureau of
Investigation of the Philippines, and Sao Paulo police department in
Brazil.
Inclusion in the stolen data means only a government worker
from the agency was interested in pricing surveillance equipment; it
does not necessarily mean the agency actually uses hidden cameras or
other spy-like devices.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/796315.asp?pne=46746&0ct=-301
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