Laura Casella reports:
There has been an apparent security breach at the Montreal police department. Hackers have released a large amount of confidential files.
[…]
The files are filled with personal information about the SPVM [Service de police de la Ville de Montréal]. What looks to be the most worrisome is a file containing the names and pictures of undercover agents.
There are also licence plate numbers of unmarked police vehicles, and names and pictures of officers on the riot squad.
A Montreal police spokesperson tells CJAD they are aware of the files and are taking the matter very seriously.
This isn’t the first time confidential information on the force is leaked on the Internet.
Last year, officers’ names and their email addresses were exposed.
Police departments the world over have been a frequent target of hackers’ collectives such as Anonymous. As the reporter notes, this was not the first compromise of the Montreal police department. Last year’s attack was in the name of #OpQuebec. The new paste, dated February 9, contains a statement in both French and English that suggests the motivation for the attack is political:
The SPVM have tormented the people of Montreal continuously, using physical violence to club us into submission, using sexual violence to intimidate and dominate, using ethnicity, race, sexuality, gender and political beliefs to suppress the voices of our city.
The people do not sit idly under the SPVM, the SPVM sit idly under the people.The time has come to take back our streets, to demand justice for the people of this city, of this province and of Canada. We demand a public enquiry.
This is a warning to the SPVM:
We are watching, we are listening and we are recording every action you commit. Against the elders, against our youth and against the land. We will not tolerate violence any longer, we will not stay quiet as you destroy the lives of innocent people, we will no longer tolerate the State you enable.This is a warning to withhold violence during the Education Summit, and any following show of resistance. This is a warning to disobey your orders, to find the dignity to know the difference between right and wrong, and the courage to act on that. We are only asking that you open your eyes to the injustice you commit, the corruption you enable and the name you are defending. This is your last warning.
As you have taken our identities, we now take yours.
You have forgotten your actions not only reflect onto you as a Police Officer, but also reflect on you as a person; in uniform, and outside of your uniform, you will be judged.Sincerely,
The People
The paste does not contain the sensitive information the reporter referred to, but does contain a directory of officers’ names and work phone numbers. The data on Dropbox seem to have been uploaded two days ago.
it’s curious that the SVPM has not had either the Pastebin nor Drobox files removed, particularly if undercover agents’ names and pictures may have been exposed. The SPVM has not confirmed the accuracy of the files as of the time of this posting. According to one person who contacted SPVM about the Dropbox files, the police are looking into the matter:
Called #SPVM, they said they’ll look into the file but refuse to comment #Anonymous #spvmleaks
— Aalia (@_News_Monster) March 20, 2013
Media coverage of the Pastebin statement and February data dump can be found here (in French).