Financing malware with tax money and using it on behalf of the state – Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) would have allowed this by amending the law. Sent for public review Right-wing conservative politicians would like to allow the secret service directorate State Security and Intelligence Directorate (DSN) to infect third-party computer systems, including cell phones, tablets and cloud servers, in order to spy on messages before encryption or after decryption. The Security Council, an advisory body to the government, has spoken out against such federal trojans.
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The use of false mobile radio transmitters, so-called IMSI catchers, is to be increased. Also, false WLAN hotspots (WLAN catchers) will be legalized in order to be able to spy (and perhaps intrude) on end devices and their data traffic directly, without the help of the network operator. If the secret service finds evidence of other crimes during its work, it must pass this data on to other security authorities without imposing restrictions on the evidence. In addition, the priority of the secret services has been increased: Under certain circumstances, the police are not allowed to intervene and the criminal police are not allowed to investigate if this may hinder certain tasks of the DSN secret service.
The Greens, a coalition partner of the ÖVP (Austrian People’s Party), Talk about a “delicate legal question” and would like a “broad discussion”. Anyone can comment on the draft law until September 25. “If the Federal Ministry of the Interior does not receive any statements by this date, it will be considered that there are no concerns about the provisions of the draft,” the ministry says.
Campaigning with Taylor Swift
The background to the start is, on the one hand, the election campaign: On September 29, Austria will elect a new National Council, the more important chamber of the national parliament. The ÖVP would like to establish itself as the only security party. The opposition parties SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS reject the proposed law, and it is unlikely to be passed before the upcoming election. The draft is certainly the basis for a quick decision or coalition talks after the election.
On the other hand, two people have just been arrested; one of the two is suspected of planning a terrorist attack on a Taylor Swift pop concert in Vienna using stabbing weapons and a homemade explosive device. It is doubtful that he was actually able to make an effective explosive device. The second person arrested is suspected of complicity and support.
The motive is only partially clear. The two Austrians are said to have radicalised themselves online and declared themselves loyal to the Islamic State; they are not said to have any specific links to the organisation.
It is said that the first information was sent by a foreign secret service to the Austrian military intelligence service Heeresnachrichtenamt in July, and the civilian DSN was also informed in early August. As far as is known, the foreign service is said to have obtained its findings without decrypting encrypted messenger messages; this did not prevent the OVP from authorizing the DSN to purchase and use the federal Trojan.
