Despite sanctions and cyber attacks: Swiss police use Russian software

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

The federal arms company Ruag has already fallen victim to Russian hackers. There were also cyber attacks against the Spiez laboratory, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and even the federal parliament. So Switzerland has been warned – actually. Nevertheless, police forces in several cantons have been relying on Russian software for forensic investigation and the three-dimensional representation of traffic accidents for years. In some cases to this day, as the Tamedia newspapers report.

The production company Agisoft even has connections that lead to the Kremlin. Katerina Tikhonova (37) – daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin (71) – is said to be behind the company. Like her father, Tikhonova was sanctioned in the West, including in Switzerland, for the attack on Ukraine.

Safety risks cannot be excluded

The use of Russian software on Swiss police computers seems questionable. Several safety issues have now arisen. What if the software had other functions and access to data? What if a backdoor were built into the software that gives Russians access to Swiss computers?

It is known “that states install backdoors in applications or exploit security holes to orchestrate espionage and cyber attacks,” says Green National Councilor and IT entrepreneur Gerhard Andrey (48). “You can never rule out a backdoor,” says Erik Schönenberger, director of the Digital Society. This could make it possible to transfer traffic accident data to other areas of police work, such as white-collar crime or counterintelligence.

The police force also has concerns

The Swiss police force apparently hasn’t been this concerned for a long time. For example, the cantonal police of Bern relied on the Russian program until last summer. Then they got out – because of safety concerns. Just like the cantonal police in Zurich or St. Gallen: they heard “of the possibility that the software could possibly be used to spread malware.” They then switched to a competing product.

Some of the Russian software is still used. The Baselbieter cantonal police have been using the program “since last year in a pilot phase”. The evaluation takes place locally in a secure network at a specially purchased evaluation station. A decision on further use will be made in the coming months.

Even the company Remote Vision in Herisau AR, which acts as a reseller of the licenses, is now said to have security concerns. It is said that the situation has been critically examined and that the switch to an alternative product has already been initiated. Because: There are no general safety guarantees from the manufacturers. (dba)

Source:Blick