According to research by the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the Zurich Cantonal Police and other Swiss police authorities have been using special Russian software for years, the development company of which has excellent personal ties with the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin. And some police forces continue to use the program, even though it could be a gateway for Russia’s elite hackers.
The Russian development agency is supported by a Russian state foundation led by a Putin subsidiary. Like her father, she was sanctioned in the West for the criminal attack on Ukraine.
Watson summarizes the key points.
What kind of software is this?
The program is called Metaform (formerly PhotoScan) and is released from the company Agisoft in St.Petersburg.
The software is mainly used to secure evidence. It helps forensic experts model the respective locations in 3D after traffic accidents or crimes. This is known in technical language as photogrammetry.
According to the report, Agisoft is working with Geoscan Group, the largest drone manufacturer in Russia. And behind this company is Innopraktika, a state foundation run by Putin’s daughter Katerina Tikhonova.
The Tagi says:
It should be noted that Agisoft denied to the “Tages-Anzeiger” that it was “particularly close” to the largest Russian drone manufacturer.
Why is using Russian software dangerous?
The tagi writes:
As has been known since March 2023 at the latest and the leaked Russian documents (“Vulkan Files”), the Russian secret services work closely with Russian IT companies. Unit 74455, or Sandworm, part of the Russian military intelligence service, has private IT specialists develop attack instruments, among other things.
The Green National Councilor and IT entrepreneur Gerhard Andrey from Freiburg now finds clear words:
Is the software still used in Switzerland?
Yes.
The realization that Russian software represents a huge IT security problem does not seem to have been accepted by all those responsible.
According to Tagi research, the largest cantonal police authorities continued to use Russian software even after the attack on Ukraine:
- The Police of the Canton of Bern According to its own information, the country relied on the Russian program from 2016 until the summer of 2023. Only then did they get out due to safety concerns on the part of those responsible.
- The Cantonal Police of St.Gallen According to proprietary information, Metashape used “as the main photogrammetry software” from 2018 to 2023.
- The Zurich Cantonal Police only admitted when asked that their specialists also used Russian software “until last year”.
- The Lucerne Police I still use Metashape “to read old datasets”. However, the entire digital infrastructure is “extensively protected by various security measures”.
- The The Basel Cantonal Police have been testing the program “since last year in a pilot phase”. Further use will be “decided in the coming months with the public prosecutor’s office in Basel-Landschaft”.
The report states that the software is also used by Swiss companies in the surveying, real estate and construction sectors. It should be noted that there are several similar products that do not come from Russia.
Even the Swiss reseller of the Russian software now has security concerns, writes the “Tages-Anzeiger”. The director says that the situation has been critically examined and that the switch to an alternative product has already been initiated. And:
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
