Joe Greenwood, expert of security company Hyperion managed to get the licensing of Galileo, which is the cyber weapon of Hacking Team (it wasn’t too difficult, because the source code and the installer appeared on the Internet). So he could install the software and try out what kind of superpowers the purchasers get, including the Hungarian secret services, index.hu said.
The shell company of the Hungarian secret service is called KHIF Multi-Purpose Small Area Corporation. They bought cyber weapons for the Hungarian secret service for EUR 90 thousand. They’ve been busted by hackers.
The installation of the spy software works the same way in many respects like an ordinary software, you have to follow a standard installer.
The overall thing is more complicated, of course, but there are a plenty of simple parts. It cannot be expected that everyone at the secret services would be able to program.
You just have to select for what you’d like to use the software. The capacities are shocking. You can:
- eavesdrop calls of Skype and MSN
- observe the messages, SMS, emails, chats
- collect files, documents, photos
- set the software to make screenshots every few minutes
- collect calendar events, visited websites
- activate the camera
- and monitor every keystroke, mouse movement and passwords
Galileo also warn not to upload the program to antivirus sites, not to use publicly and not to send in email.
After installation you just have to select your operating system (Linux, OSX, Windows), and it makes the file you just have to deliver to the victim somehow.
As the package will be delivered, it sends back the machine’s information, so the secret agents can satisfy themselves whether they monitor the target. They get every character typed, moreover a transcript is made of the screenshots with character recognition, so an opened document can be stolen easily. This technology (OCR) is not new, but it’s incredible to see what the spies can do in service.
It’s worth noting the icons on the bottom line as well: as if we were at home, we can retrieve call history, contacts, chats, SMS-s, almost anything. Convenient remote is very comfortable. You are hardly aware of it that you’re just watching other people’s confidential information.
based on the article of index.hu
translated by BA