Abin’s illegal espionage targeted STF ministers and journalists

Intelligence Center

According to the PF, Abin used an irregular spying system more than 30 thousand times. Among the targets are journalists and STF ministers

Brasilia DF) – Ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) were also the target of irregular monitoring carried out by the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin), during the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The agency’s cell phone geolocation spy system targeted 2,200 journalists, lawyers, politicians, some STF ministers and people considered adversaries by the former president’s administration.

According to the Federal Police investigation, this system was used more than 30 thousand times. In addition to the ministers, the spying would also have been carried out on the cell phones of those who attended the Court.

There is still no information on which ministers were monitored, but the investigation has details of this irregular monitoring.

This Friday (20), the PF launched Operation Last Mile to investigate the misuse of the FirstMile software without authorization from the Court by Abin servers.

The agents served two arrest warrants and 25 search and seizure warrants, in addition to precautionary measures other than prison, issued by the Federal Supreme Court (STF), in the states of São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Goiás and the Federal District.

One of those arrested is Rodrigo Colli, a professional in the agency’s cyber counterintelligence area. The other is intelligence officer Eduardo Arthur Izycki.
Spy system

According to investigations, the geolocation system used by Abin is intrusive software in the critical Brazilian telephone infrastructure. The telephone network would have been invaded several times, using the service acquired with public resources.

In addition to the misuse of the system, the actions of two Abin employees were investigated as they were facing administrative disciplinary proceedings, with the risk of losing their jobs. According to the investigation, they would have used knowledge about the misuse of the system as a means of indirect coercion to avoid dismissal.

Those under investigation may be held liable, to the extent of their responsibilities, for the crimes of invading someone else’s computer device, criminal organization and interception of telephone, IT or telematics communications without judicial authorization or for purposes not authorized by law.
Five Abin directors were removed, including Abin’s Planning and Management Secretary, Paulo Maurício Fortunato Pinto. At his home, the PF seized US$171,800 in cash.

Preliminary information indicates that another person being investigated is Caio Santos Cruz, son of former minister and former Bolsonaro ally General Santos Cruz. Caio would be a representative of the company that sold the software to Abin.

In March, the PF ordered the opening of an investigation to investigate allegations that Abin monitored the cell phones of thousands of Brazilians during the first three years of the Bolsonaro government.
According to the agency, the contract for the use of the location software began at the end of 2018, during the Michel Temer government. The program, called FirstMile, was purchased for R$5.7 million from the Israeli company Cognyte, with no bidding required.

The tool allowed the monitoring of up to 10,000 cell phones every 12 months, simply by entering the person’s number. In addition, the application created movement histories and real-time alerts on the movement of registered devices. PF agents identified more than 30,000 illegal uses of the software.

In a note, Abin reported that the spying software investigated by the Federal Police stopped being used in May 2021 and that since February this year there has been an internal investigation into irregularities in the use of this program.

*With information from Metrópoles

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