The Federal Police launched the “Data Market” operation on Thursday morning (26) against three employees of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) investigated for selling data of Brazilians. A hacker is also a target of the PF.
Police officers took to the streets to serve 29 search warrants and 18 preventive arrest warrants in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Alagoas, Pará, Goiás, Paraná, Bahia and the Federal District.
According to the PF, investigations initiated in September 2023 revealed that the criminal organization is composed of:
- hackers who used advanced cyber intrusion techniques and managed to directly access the INSS database;
- federal agency employees who sold their respective system access credentials;
- individuals who sold beneficiary data to any interested party;
Among the targets of the warrants, one of them is the hacker – who has already been investigated by the Federal Police and is known as one of the most skilled invaders of computerized systems in Brazil.
It was found that he was able to circumvent the method of login with multifactor authentication, change the access levels of INSS server credentials and even use the digital certificate of these servers.
Three INSS employees and an intern are also targets of the operation.
The court also ordered the seizure of 24 properties belonging to the group’s members, as well as the freezing of financial resources in the bank accounts used by them, up to the amount of R$34 million.
Those involved will be charged with criminal organization, corruption, hacking into computer devices, violating functional secrecy, obtaining and selling confidential data and money laundering, with sentences that, if added together, could amount to more than 15 years in prison.
The investigation by the PF in Cascavel (PR) has the support of the Ministry of Social Security.
THE CNN contacted INSS and is awaiting a response.
This content was originally published in PF arrests INSS servers and hacker who sold data of Brazilians on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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