WikiLeaks shows Hong Kong’s ICAC sought encryption-cracking spy software

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has been drawn into a global hacking controversy after leaked emails on whistleblower website WikiLeaks suggested staff inquired about purchasing encryption-cracking surveillance software.
 
The ICAC was reportedly in contact with Italian-based “cyberscurity” firm Hacking Team, a company notorious for helping governments, such as those in Sudan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United States, intercept computer and phone data from civilians.
 
More than a million Hacking Team company emails were leaked (yep, the hacking experts got hacked) and published by WikiLeaks.
 
Among them is a conversation that took place in June last year between ICAC principal investigator Simon Tse and Daniel Maglietta, head of Hacking Team’s Singapore branch.
 
In the exchange, Tse inquired about the “Galileo” remote control system, which allows investigators to bypass encryption and collect data from mobile devices.
 
In the final email, the two parties discussed meeting at Hacking Team’s Singapore headquarters in August of the same year for a demonstration of the software, but the emails don’t indicate whether the ICAC made the meeting or eventually purchased the program.
 
The ICAC has not confirmed or denied the allegations, only stating that bribery is a serious crime and it will continue to enhance it’s surveillance capabilities, including by understanding the latest technology.
 
The spokeswoman also stated that the ICAC is obligated to comply with laws and regulations with regards to intercepting communications., however.
 
Photo: Chong Fat via Wikipedia Commons