Discovered Tablet Confirms Russian Covert Action in Libya
When you lose your device, be it a laptop, tablet or phone, what have you lost? That is the question every CISO should be encouraging employees to ask as they provision and maintain devices that contain sensitive information. The Wagner Group no doubt wishes their mercenaries were asking that question, given the recent revelation from the BBC.
Wagner Group
It is not a secret that the Russian mercenary organization, Wagner Group, has been deployed to Libya for a few years in support of general Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army (LNA). Russian Federation’s president Putin has publicly denied the group is operating under the auspices of his nation, yet the actions of Russia, their ministry of defense and Wagner Group tell another story.
Olga Lautman, co-host of the Kremlin File podcast, explained that the Wagner Group, run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, is the “direct covert action arm of the Kremlin, and uses the same tactics whether in Ukraine where they first appeared or in Libya, Syria or the Central Africa Republic. The Wagner Group is accused of committing numerous war crimes.” Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch from St. Petersburg, Russia, is also the owner of the infamous Internet Research Agency which was responsible for Project Lakhta—Russia’s disinformation and misinformation social network campaign.
In May 2020, the UN estimated there were approximately 1,200 mercenaries associated with Wagner Group deployed in Libya, including snipers, combat teams and aircraft mechanics (according to the U.S. military, Russia surreptitiously slipped 14 MIG-29 aircraft into Libya). In July 2020, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated unequivocally that the state-sponsored Wagner Group were indiscriminately setting boobytraps, and laying minefields and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the Libyan civil war.
“The Russian-state-sponsored Wagner Group is demonstrating a total disregard for the safety and security of Libyans,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, director of operations, U.S. Africa Command. “The Wagner Group’s irresponsible tactics are prolonging conflict and are responsible for the needless suffering and the deaths of innocent civilians. Russia has the power to stop them, just not the will.”
Discovered Tablet: It was Easy to Access
The BBC “gained exclusive access to an electronic tablet left behind on a battlefield in Libya by a Wagner fighter, giving an unprecedented insight into how these operatives work.” The BBC’s discovery also allowed analysts to piece together more information about the Wagner Group and their Libya operations. In essence, the discovery confirms both Lautman’s and U.S. Africa Command’s observations.
Was the tablet secured? The BBC reporters noted, “Remarkably, the information on it was easy to access.”
No doubt the Wagner fighter, whose tablet was full of tactical information including geographic targets, instructions for creating improvised explosive devices and other pieces of information, did not plan on losing the tablet. Nor do we have a view into the infosec or opsec protocols of the Wagner Group when it comes to their electronic devices. Perhaps all their mercenaries’ devices are this easy to access.
Which begs the question, what’s on your device (phone, tablet, laptop)?
What story would your device tell others about you?
What sensitive work information would be revealed?
While you might realize your device was missing, would you know if someone had accessed the information?
As the BBC said, accessing the tablet was “easy.” Is accessing your device easy?
These are all questions travelers should be asking themselves prior to packing their bags and hitting the road, be it for business or pleasure. CISOs and the entities they are working to protect will benefit from having both processes and procedures for their travelers in place in the unlikely event their device goes missing.
