Hacking Team Gets Hacked: 5 Revelations From the Data Breach

Italy's surveillance software maker Hacking Team found itself in an embarrassing position on Sunday, after an anti-surveillance crusader, who goes by the name Phineas Fisher leaked over 400 GB of the company's emails, passwords, source code, and internal documents through a torrent posted on their Twitter handle.

"Since we have nothing to hide, we're publishing all our emails, files and source code," says a deleted Twitter message, which included links to the torrent file. Hacking Team had lost control of its Twitter handle for over 12 hours, during which screenshots of internal emails were posted.

Phineas Fisher had previously hacked Gamma International, a British-German surveillance company that's behind the spyware software FinFisher. The hacker tweeted out screenshots of internal company emails in which competitors were discussed, and took credit for both the exploits on his Twitter handle.

gamma and HT down, a few more to go :)

-- Phineas

Fisher (@GammaGroupPR) July 6, 2015

The torrent file is now being pored upon by numerous infosec experts, who are having a field day analysing the company's internal emails and its source code.

#HackerTeam's CEO on Ross Ulbricht:

"An EXEMPLARY punishment. This is JUST. This IS the

Justice we need"

HOORAY pic.twitter.com/vs6PrWcjB8

-- Moustache

(@lamoustache) July 6, 2015

In this Twitter thread, hackers are debating whether the source code of their malware was used to plant child pornography on a victim's computer.

Nothing like planting evidence when your main customer is

law enforcement globally. #HackingTeam pic.twitter.com/XnYux3wEI0

-- Anis (@hertzmau5) July 6, 2015

Hacking Team had a folder called "Anti HT Activists", which kept a log of research groups like Citizen Lab, a digital rights research group. Independent security researcher Claudio Guarnieri was quick to point this out after poring over their emails.

Interesting, we fall under the "Anti HT

activists" folder https://t.co/VK1qFurAt9

-- Claudio (@botherder) July 6, 2015

Citizen Lab had previously reported on how Hacking Team software was used by governments to track journalists and dissidents in Africa and the Middle East. Hacking Team's clients list includes Russia and Sudan, which are 'not offically supported'.

#HackingTeam European clients: Czech R, Cyprus, Poland, Spain, Hungary, Luxembourg #ppint http://t.co/zSnPTlZLs2 pic.twitter.com/uHPPMzAAvB

-- OXI Angela (@Miss_Cybernaut) July 6, 2015

when #HACKINGTEAM claimed Sudan & Russia were never clients because that would be highly illegal & morally

corrupt: pic.twitter.com/b17QGwxrxq

-- #NotUrFalcoLombardi (@P45K) July 6, 2015

The Intercept analysed the leaked files to discover that Hacker Team's clients included the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Army, with the FBI using the software since 2011 in their 'Remote Operations Unit'.

Hacker Team's clients have been posted on an interactive world map, with an extended list of maintenance contracts signed by the company on CSOonline.