The secret behind the decryption of the criminal-only messenger 'Sky ECC' and the arrest of about 10,000 people
Criminal organizations sometimes use encrypted 'messaging apps for criminals' to prevent their criminal plans and secrets from being leaked from the history left on smartphones.
The crime messenger
https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/the-crime-messenger
Cracking messaging apps used by criminal organizations is important for understanding the structure and connections of criminal organizations and solidifying suspicions. In 2020, law enforcement agencies in various European countries succeeded in cracking an encrypted chat app called 'EncroChat,' and large-scale searches and arrests were conducted based on the information obtained. A messaging app called 'Sky ECC,' which became popular as an alternative to EncroChat, was also used by criminal organizations because it automatically deleted messages 30 seconds after opening and had an emergency button that deleted everything in an emergency. In March 2021, law enforcement agencies in Belgium and the Netherlands seized Sky ECC's servers at the same time and conducted searches of the offices and homes of criminal organizations.
Law enforcement agencies succeed in cracking 'encrypted messaging app used by criminal organizations' - GIGAZINE
Sky ECC claims to be the 'world's most secure messaging app,' and it was also said that 'more than 90% of Sky ECC users are criminals.' So, from 2019 to March 2021, police eavesdropped on Sky ECC servers, secretly intercepting data from more than 160,000 Sky ECC accounts and accessing more than 1 billion private messages. Catherine de Borre, Executive Director of Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, said, 'Privacy is really important and we all have a right to privacy. But now that we know that encrypted communications are a factor in encouraging crime, we had to take some kind of action.'
In addition to Europol, law enforcement agencies in the Netherlands and Belgium, US and French prosecutors, and a Canadian investigative program in cooperation with 12 European journalists, have been investigating Sky ECC. As a result, Jean-Francois Iape, the company that developed Sky ECC, was indicted in US and French courts for 'knowingly providing encrypted mobile phones to criminals,' and documents leaked from Sky ECC were thoroughly examined.
CBC explains a specific case of a criminal investigation into hacking Sky ECC. According to CBC, in February 2021, a plot was underway by two Canadian criminals to assassinate an Iranian dissident living in Maryland, USA. The two were hired by a drug trafficker close to the Iranian regime, and the assassination was planned secretly through Sky ECC. Messages exchanged through Sky ECC included cruel messages such as 'I'm going to shoot you in the head multiple times to make an example of you' and 'Your head must be severed from your body.'
The Sky ECC hack revealed that Iranian drug traffickers had asked Canadian criminals to kill two Iranian activists for $350,000. The plot was thwarted before it could be carried out by the FBI putting two Canadian criminals on the wanted list and indicting them on charges of plotting the assassination while serving time for unrelated crimes.
In addition, according to CBC, the Sky ECC hack uncovered the following criminal schemes:
-It was discovered that a retailer offering mobile phones that could use Sky ECC knew that the people they were selling were members of the dangerous African mafia.
- Identifying street gang members and leaders from Sky ECC messages.
Identified a hideout with a secret room belonging to a violent criminal organization involved in drug trafficking, including a photo shared on Sky ECC of a member laughing while holding the head of a victim who had been tortured to death.
- Tracking the interactions of drug traffickers in real time, observing live messages of cash, drugs, and weapons being exchanged, and plans for kidnapping and murder, etc. In the end, police carried out more than 2,500 operations, made nearly 10,000 arrests, and seized 121 tons of drugs.
Sky ECC is confident in its security, and on its official website it even held a challenge to pay $5 million (approximately 540 million yen) to anyone who could successfully crack Sky ECC. However, the messages were intercepted and decoded by police organizations and the FBI, leading to the arrest of many criminals. The FBI seized all of Sky ECC's domains on March 12, 2021, and Sky ECC's operations have effectively ceased.
But Sky ECC isn't the only messaging app touting encryption. According to Scott McGregor, a former intelligence analyst for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , encrypted mobile phones are still nearly impossible to crack, leaving law enforcement completely thwarted. 'Vancouver is the Dubai of the West, and terrorist organizations, Hong Kong-based crime triads , cartels, all operate here, but no one cracks down on anything,' McGregor said of the connection between encrypted messaging apps and crime. 'Usually the more malicious and the higher the level, the more important it is to have an encrypted device.'
According to the CBC, investigations into the cracking of encrypted messaging apps are difficult because of the conflict between privacy protection and criminal investigation. In fact, more than 5,000 Sky ECC users have been convicted in Europe, but CBC points out that Canada, which places great importance on privacy laws and the Charter of Rights, has not announced a single arrest for wiretapping Sky ECC. Marie-Eve Lavallée, assistant criminal investigator for organized crime at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said, 'At the legal level, investigations conducted in Canada will always respect existing laws and the Charter of Rights. Investigations triggered by the wiretapping of messaging apps can sometimes create obstacles to prosecution. Unfortunately, the freedoms and privacy enjoyed by Canadians also facilitate organized crime in the country.'
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