1.7TB Nokia data leak reveals details about surveillance in Russia

Security firm UpGuard released a report detailing how it found 1.7TB of data owned by Nokia and related to Russian operator MTS that reveal details about the network infrastructure in Russia and the SORM (System for Operative Investigative Activities) installations used by law and intelligence agencies.

The data, which mostly consists of images, but also documents and schemas, show how the SORM equipment is installed in MTS facilities in Russia. The origin of the data leak is a 3rd party employee that was handed the “folder” from Nokia employee, and the 3rd party employee “failed to follow his company’s business processes, security policies and his personal responsibility to protect it.”

The employee connected the USB to his personal computer and the files were available via a rsync server configured for public accessibility. The data has been secured by Nokia, preventing any future malicious use.

TechCrunch has a lenghty writeup with all the details about the leak, so check them out if you’re interested in this topic. UpGuard’s blogpost can be found here.