A used German military laptop was purchased on eBay by a computer security company for $100.
The staff from G Data found various classified documents including instructions on how to destroy the LeFlaSys Ozelot air defence system, according to local media.
The Ozelot is a variant of the ASRAD-R mobile short-range air defense missile system.
“The notebook PC we acquired contains extensive technical information on the LeFlaSys system, including step-by-step instructions for operation as well as maintenance. Information on how to operate the target acquisition system, as well as the weapons platform itself, can be found on there, and, of course, instructions on how to destroy the entire system to prevent its use by enemy forces,” G Data security expert Tim Berghoff told DW here.
“It was easy to access the information. The Windows login required no password. The login for the program that contained the documentation of the weapons system was protected with a very easy-to-guess password. From then on, you could freely browse through the documentation.”
The device was sold by a recycling firm from Bingen.
Jesus christ someones going to be roasted for a fuckup this monumental. Also what is a recycling company doing putting this up for sale aren’t there laws around this kind of thing?
Presumably the recycling company were meant to either destroy or wipe the drives but they failed to do so. It does happen every so often, usually with the US military (due to sheer volume I’d imagine). The fault here is primarily on the Bundeswher though, they should have wiped the drives before they sent the laptop for recycling, even if the drive was supposed to be destroyed by the contractor.
The incompetence in Germany now is astounding.