Beware of USB sticks, especially Russian ones. Herman launches the alert
(BRUXELLES2) Small gifts are usual in international meetings. They take the form of a bottle of wine, a tie and the now usual USB key, containing various information on the conference.
German secret services to the rescue
The habit was respected at the G20 in Saint Petersburg where each leader received a USB key and a GSM charger. Alerted, Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, entrusted these precious gifts to the German secret services, as revealed by the Corriere and the Stampa today. Conclusion of IT experts: “ the USB key and the electrical cables are suitable for the illegal collection of data from computers and mobile phones”.
Comments : He who is not spied on today is not worthy to govern today! In a way, it is reassuring to know that the President of the European Council is a potential listening target. To those who doubted the usefulness of the President of the European Council, it is now proven 🙂
Seriously... this case comes at the right time. This makes it possible to put the NSA-Gate and the revelations of wiretapping by the American agency into perspective. This case reminds us that the most numerous and "hostile" eavesdropping or espionage attempts do not come from the Americans but from the Russians or the Chinese. It is thus quasi-public notoriety that half of the Chinese or Russian diplomats posted in Brussels have a conception of diplomacy based more on "listening" than on speaking... This revelation also comes at a time when the tensions between Russians and Europeans will increase as the Eastern Partnership Summit approaches, scheduled for the end of November.
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