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I haven't visited Ukraine or Russia in 10 years, but back then, you could buy USBs with all kinds of data at flea markets. Moscow would mostly have passport dat
by AzzieElbab 3y ago
I haven't visited Ukraine or Russia in 10 years, but back then, you could buy USBs with all kinds of data at flea markets. Moscow would mostly have passport data, including international travelers. Odesa had addresses, job history, and so on.
- kspacewalk2 3y agoThis has been used countless times by OSINT investigators to out Russia's covert activities, such as Novichok poisonings of Navalny and Skripal, identifying most operatives by cross-referencing e.g. flight record, passport, property and even taxi databases sold in Russia, sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly.
- jruohonen 3y agoBut note that 300M is far beyond the population of Russia.
- kspacewalk2 3y agoYeah, this guy's stash may or may not include any Russian data. What I'm saying is that it's a common problem in eastern Europe, in democratic countries and authoritarian hellholes alike. Just because the Russian state can arbitrarily imprison you forever without any valid reason does not make it capable enough as an organization to securely store even data that can be used to badly hurt its interests. The Ukrainian state has been "digitizing" by leaps and bounds even before the war, and now it's accelerated further. Everything's moving "to the cloud". They seem to be relatively competent these days, past lessons learned perhaps. But the breakneck pace of moving everything online (far outpacing most western European countries) will surely result in breaches, it's just common sense.
- jruohonen 3y agoYet some say Ukraine has been quite successful precisely because of their cloud strategy. Opinions vary, of course. The original announcement (via a DeepL translation) indicates that also data of EU citizens was involved, so maybe you are on the right track [1]. [1] https://cyberpolice.gov.ua/news/kiberpolicziya-vykryla-zlovmysnyka-u-zbuti-baz-iz-personalnymy-danymy-gromadyan-ukrayiny-ta-yes-6598/ https://cyberpolice.gov.ua/news/kiberpolicziya-vykryla-zlovm...
- Arrath 3y agoBill Browder's Red Notice[0] described using 'street sourced' data like this as their team dug into the illegal shenanigans being done against their company. [0]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609522-red-notice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609522-red-notice
- pphysch 3y agoCalling it "OSINT" is a stretch when it is state funding and collaboration that enables the firm you are referencing (according to Paul Mason).
- PicassoCTs 3y agoWasn't there a gay couple of assassins, touring Europs famous churches, poisoning people?
- charlieyu1 3y agoPretty interesting to have leaked data available in flea markets. In Hong Kong only government agencies would have access to leaked data
- mistrial9 3y agopretty funny that I recall walking in the "pirate shop" area in Hong Kong, and finding multi-thousand pirate copies of American shrinkwrap software, including perfect cover art and sometimes tiny manuals.
- charlieyu1 3y agolate 90s and early 00s? Those were better times...
- contingencies 3y agoI recall Mongkok, 1998. MP3 CDs. Haha.
- AzzieElbab 3y agoWell, it is the law enforcement ppl who sell that data. Sometimes personally
- moltar 3y agoNot only flea markets. The problem was so ubiquitous that sellers would walk in traffic and sell CDs with data to drivers.