News Analysis India

Tag: Arsenal Consulting

  • Hacker planted evidence on Stan Swamy’s computer: Report

    By Online Desk

    The United States-based digital forensics firm, Arsenal Consulting has revealed that a hacker planted evidence on a device owned by tribal rights activist Stan Swamy who died while under judicial custody, several months after his arrest in the Bhima-Koregaon case. Last year, the firm revealed that two others arrested in connection with the case, Surendra Gadling and Rona Wilson were also victims who had evidence planted in their device by a hacker. The revelation relating to Surendra Gadling came a day after the death of Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021, while the report on Rona Wilson came several months prior to that.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Pune cop planted evidence in devices of jailed activists, says report

    The 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. His requests for bail on medical grounds was rejected multiple times. Eventually, his health condition deteriorated and he died in a hospital, while in judicial custody, on July 5, 2021.

    According to The Washington Post, Massachusetts-based firm Arsenal Consulting has released the latest analysis on Stan Swamy.

    NEW: Forensic analysis by @ArsenalArmed concludes that Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old priest who died after a jail stint was hacked and evidence planted on device. He is the third defendant in #BhimaKoregaon case to have been hacked. https://t.co/B2htQ20SZ1
    — Niha Masih (@NihaMasih) December 13, 2022
    Arsenal Consulting said that Swamy had been targeted by an extensive malware campaign for nearly five years till his device was seized by the police in June 2019. In that duration, the hacker had complete control over the activist’s computer, and placed dozens of files in a hidden folder without his knowledge, according to The Washington Post.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court extends house arrest of Gautam Navlakha

    It may be recalled that a day after the activist Father Stan Swamy’s death on July 5, 2021, Arsenal Consulting claimed that evidence was planted on the computer of Surendra Gadling. The firm claimed that the malware that targeted Gadling’s computer via emails also had several other Bhima-Koregaon accused, including Swamy and Sudha Bhardwaj copied on the mails.

    Stan Swamy and others were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case under UAPA for alleged links with banned Maoists.

    The United States-based digital forensics firm, Arsenal Consulting has revealed that a hacker planted evidence on a device owned by tribal rights activist Stan Swamy who died while under judicial custody, several months after his arrest in the Bhima-Koregaon case. Last year, the firm revealed that two others arrested in connection with the case, Surendra Gadling and Rona Wilson were also victims who had evidence planted in their device by a hacker. The revelation relating to Surendra Gadling came a day after the death of Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021, while the report on Rona Wilson came several months prior to that.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Pune cop planted evidence in devices of jailed activists, says report

    The 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. His requests for bail on medical grounds was rejected multiple times. Eventually, his health condition deteriorated and he died in a hospital, while in judicial custody, on July 5, 2021.

    According to The Washington Post, Massachusetts-based firm Arsenal Consulting has released the latest analysis on Stan Swamy.

    NEW: Forensic analysis by @ArsenalArmed concludes that Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old priest who died after a jail stint was hacked and evidence planted on device. He is the third defendant in #BhimaKoregaon case to have been hacked. https://t.co/B2htQ20SZ1
    — Niha Masih (@NihaMasih) December 13, 2022
    Arsenal Consulting said that Swamy had been targeted by an extensive malware campaign for nearly five years till his device was seized by the police in June 2019. In that duration, the hacker had complete control over the activist’s computer, and placed dozens of files in a hidden folder without his knowledge, according to The Washington Post.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court extends house arrest of Gautam Navlakha

    It may be recalled that a day after the activist Father Stan Swamy’s death on July 5, 2021, Arsenal Consulting claimed that evidence was planted on the computer of Surendra Gadling. The firm claimed that the malware that targeted Gadling’s computer via emails also had several other Bhima-Koregaon accused, including Swamy and Sudha Bhardwaj copied on the mails.

    Stan Swamy and others were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case under UAPA for alleged links with banned Maoists.

  • Elgar Parishad accused Rona Wilson seeks probe into alleged installation of malware on computer

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case accused Rona Wilson’s lawyer told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that an expert should be asked to probe if any malware had been installed on Wilson’s computer before it was seized by the NIA in 2018. Wilson has moved the high court seeking quashing of the charges against him.

    His petition has cited, among other grounds, a report of the US-based digital forensic firm Arsenal Consulting that incriminating evidence was planted on his computer through a malware before he was arrested.

    On Wednesday, his lawyer, senior counsel Indira Jaising told a bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar that to tamper with a person’s electronic device was an offense under the Information Technology (IT) Act.

    “It is my case that crimes under the IT Act have been committed against me….I have come with a positive case that my device was tampered with and an expert should be appointed to ascertain if my computer had malware when it was seized (by the National Investigation Agency). The expert can tell how the malware was planted,” she said.

    As per Arsenal Consulting, a hacker had had the control of Wilson’s computer, and a malware (software used for malicious purposes such as spying) was used to plant documents in it, including a letter that was cited by the NIA as evidence against Wilson and other accused in the case.

    Arsenal came out with more reports later, claiming that electronic devices of other accused, including Jesuit priest Stan Swamy who died in hospital last month, too had been tampered with. Shoma Sen, another accused in the case, too has filed a petition seeking quashing of charges on the same ground.

    Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who appeared for the NIA, argued on Wednesday that the reports on which the petitioners were relying came from an organization called `American Bar Association’. “This association had no standing in India and it was not a statutory body. We are at the stage of framing of charges. All their contentions can be looked into at the stage of trial,” he said.

    Jaising had earlier told the HC that besides deciding on the issue of quashing the charges against Wilson and Sen, the court will also have to examine what could be considered a “legal method of search and seizure of electronic evidence”.

    The hearing will continue later this month.

  • Evidence planted to frame activists in Bhima Koregaon case, says Washington Post report

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Incriminating evidence was planted on the activists involved in the Bhima Koregaon case, an investigation by a top American newspaper has revealed.

    According to the Washington Post, more than 30 documents that were part of the evidence listed by the prosecution was planted on the laptop of one of the accused activist as per a new forensic analysis by Arsenal Consulting, a Massachusetts-based digital forensics firm.

    This is the second independent forensic report in the same case that says the evidence cited by the investigating agencies was planted.

    As per the new report, 22 additional documents were delivered to the computer of the activist by the same attacker, which planted 10 documents as per the previous report.

    The documents, as per the company, were placed in a hidden folder on the computer.

    It includes details of purported meetings of Maoist militants, discussions on fund transfers, communications between purported Maoist leaders and concerns over state crackdown.

    According to the Post, the two reports by Arsenal focus on a laptop, which belongs to Rona Wilson, an activist.

    In February, lawyers for Wilson submitted the first report to a court in Mumbai, which is yet to decide on the plea.

    According to the report, Wilson’s computer was first compromised on June 13, 2016, when he was sent emails that appeared to be from fellow accused Varavara Rao, which suggested that he click on a link to download a document. 

    Wilson opened the document at 6.18 pm on the day, which led to the installation of the NetWire malware on his computer.

    The same attacker was found to have compromised Wilson’s computer multiple times from June 2016 to April 17, 2018, when Wilson’s and the homes of others accused were raided in connection with the case.

    The case pertains to the violent incidents which occurred on January 1, 2018 at Bhima Koregaon, near Pune during the Dalit organisations’ commemoration of 200th anniversary of the victory of Koregaon Battle. 

    The Pune police alleged that violence was incited by the Elgaar Parishad meeting held at Pune the previous day.

    It was alleged that the meeting was organised by persons having nexus with banned Maoist organisations.