Germany is using spy software that violates the country’s constitution and is full of security problems, a hacker group alleged.
Calling it Trojan horse malware, Hamburg-based Chaos Computer Club (CCC) said it can control hardware on people’s computers, such as cameras and microphones, and is being used by German law enforcement. It can also be used for other forms of Internet surveillance, the group added.
“The malware can not only siphon away intimate data but also offers remote or backdoor functionality for uploading and executing other programs,” the group said in a statement on Saturday.
The group said it obtained hard drives containing the software and said it is full of bugs, which could also be exploited by a third party.
In Germany, news of the software prompted a swift reaction among politicians. Claudia Roth, the co-leader of the Green Party told Der Spiegel, “Clearly the limits set by the Federal Constitutional Court have been massively violated,” and others called for an investigation into the matter.
Germany’s Federal Press Office, in a Twitter statement, said the government “has not used [the software] reported by the CCC” and added that no Trojan-like programs are being employed.
