Users of a communications network called Anom thought their messages were encrypted and secure from prying eyes. Instead, law enforcement officials said Tuesday, their messages were secretly being copied to the FBI.
As a result, more than 800 people were arrested in a series of raids around the world. And more than 30 tons of drugs, and $48 million in currency and cryptocurrency, were seized, according to a statement from Europol. Australian police said they acted on 20 “threats to kill” people.
The Anom network relied on modified smartphones that, according to The New York Times, only supported communications through an Anom messaging app. The app was accessible by entering a password into what appeared to be a calculator tool.
But Anom was, in fact, under the control of the FBI since 2019. After international police agencies took down a Canadian company called Phantom Secure that provided similar encryption devices that officials said were used by drug smuggling and organized…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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