NEW DELHI: Documents and internal emails of controversial Italian spyware maker Hacking Team, made public by WikiLeaks, show that Indian intelligence agencies were procuring surveillance technology, which can infect the targets’ desktops, intercept mobile calls, steal files and spy on emails. One of the emails leaked by WikiLeaks is related to CABSEC (R&AW, the external spy agency), which the company claimed was one of its Indian clients. Express, however, cannot verify the authenticity of the WikiLeaks documents.
TN Approached Hacking Team A leaked email suggests that Hacking Team was contacted by an Indian firm to submit a proposal for the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Division. “We are in touch with the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Division in India and we have been told that it does not have enough strength to track and monitor mobile signals.” Read more |
It appears from the email exchanged between NICE Systems Ltd., Israel, and Hacking Team that R&AW’s offer to these firms was made in August 2011, claiming it was already a customer.
The leaked emails purportedly show that Hacking Team executives visited Chennai to give a demonstration on a “Remote Control System” to a state intelligence agency in 2011. “We confirm that the demonstration would be conducted at our cost and it will not be binding/obligatory on your part to buy the equipment/solutions,” an email said.
Another email suggested that Hacking Team was contacted by an Indian firm for a proposal for the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Division. “We are in touch with the TN Cyber Crime Division in India.”