The sale took place in the form of an auction. The original price was $149.95, but the researcher decided to give it a shot and offered less than half that amount. He unexpectedly won and received the Secure Electronic Recording Kit (SEEK II) device. But the real surprise awaited him later.

Database

The device arrived with the memory card still in it. Marx was shocked to see what he had unwittingly achieved. Names, nationalities, photos, fingerprints and iris scans of 2,632 peopleHis biometrics were probably scanned by the US military.

The researcher claims that the device not only stores personally identifiable information (PII) of suspects, but also US military personnel, people working with the government in Afghanistan, and ordinary people temporarily detained at military checkpoints. Most of the data came from residents of Afghanistan and Iraq. All this data was supposed to be destroyed instantly, but that didn’t happen.

It is currently unknown how many people have owned the device since it was last used near Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2012. Marks did not share the data on the device, so The Times sent a reporter to Germany to examine the archive himself. The publication later contacted at least one American. confirmed that the data belonged to him.

What does the army say?

When Marks discovered the data, he said he contacted the Department of Defense but was told he was. cannot investigate or take action to protect those affected by the spill. Then The Times took up the case. The participation of well-known journalists slightly changed the situation. A Department of Defense spokesperson said the military should review the data before confirming its authenticity.

As we do not verify the information contained in the devices, the department cannot confirm the accuracy of the alleged data or make any other comments about it. The Ministry requests that all devices believed to contain personal information be returned for further analysis,
says Brigadier General Patrick S. Ryder.

Experts told The Times that the leak could have deadly consequences if the data is reliable. They recommend that the US government review the data, notify anyone affected by the breach, and then grant asylum to anyone still in Afghanistan.

he is not alone

Mathias Marks belongs to a European hacker association called Chaos Computer Club (CCC). Concerned by reports of Taliban activities aimed at identifying individuals collaborating with US authorities, it purchased a total of 6 devices – three SEEK IIs and two Handheld Interagency Identification Equipment (HIIDE). If you don’t count this device, which contains the data of 2,632 people, another device also contained fingerprints and iris scans of a small US military personnel.