Swatting: Open source developer taken away by police on camera
The police operation at René Rebe was triggered by a fake email announcing an extended suicide by the developer.
(Image: C. Nass/Shutterstock.com)
This was not how René Rebe had imagined Thursday afternoon would be: During a Twitch stream on Linux software development, the Berliner was rudely interrupted by storm doorbells, knocking and loud shouts of "Police!". Several emergency vehicles had made their way to the open source developer's office because he had sent an email announcing violent acts against himself and his family. However, the announcement was fake and part of a "swatting" campaign.
The term swatting is derived from the abbreviation SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) used in the USA for police units similar to the German Special Operations Command (SEK). The perpetrators use fake emergency calls or messages to make it appear that the victim wants to kill themselves or others in order to lure emergency services to their home. They also assume a particularly dangerous situation and appear in large numbers and with heavy weapons.
This is also the case in Rebe's case: a clip of his stream, which the developer uploaded to YouTube, shows several police officers with bulletproof vests and drawn service weapons securing the office premises. Rebe himself was placed in handcuffs, interrogated in the hallway and then driven to his private address together with police officers to prove his family's well-being.
The Berliner criticizes what he sees as a disproportionate police operation. Instead of cordoning off the entire street with emergency vehicles, the police could have called first or stopped by with a patrol, said Rebe in an interview with heise Security. The police had also not sufficiently checked the authenticity of the threatening email allegedly written by him.
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The Berlin police confirmed the incident when asked by heise, but otherwise referred to data protection and investigation tactics and did not provide any details. Despite technical obstacles such as the concealment of telephone numbers and server providers operating from abroad, efforts are being made to ensure that the case is cleared up as quickly as possible. According to police crime statistics, this actually takes place in about every second case of misuse of emergency calls: 58 percent of the 14,000 cases last year were solved. This includes not only dangerous swatting, but also every hoax emergency call.
US phenomenon on its way to Germany
Swatting is a criminal offense in Germany. Although there is no separate criminal offense, the misuse of emergency calls and the impairment of accident prevention and emergency aid resources as well as the pretense of a criminal offense (§ 145d StGB) are punishable with up to one year's imprisonment under § 145 StGB. Investigators recently took action against ten members of a gang of cyber criminals.
In the past, swatting attacks were often directed against online gamers or streamers from the gaming scene, including in Germany. The fact that a software developer is now affected is a new development.
The well-known US journalist Brian Krebs also has experience with swatting. In his experience, the fake announcement of a murder-suicide is part of the swatter's standard repertoire. In addition, the expert told heise Security, the perpetrators often do not contact the emergency number, which is too closely monitored and cannot be reached nationwide. "You can't call 911 from Denver and expect to reach 911 at the victim's home in Miami," says Krebs. Just a few days ago, the journalist wrote a detailed article on his blog about the connection between organized cyberbullying and other digital criminals.
Note: In Germany, you can find help and support for problems of all kinds, including questions about bullying and suicide, at telefonseelsorge.de and by calling 0800 1110111. The number against grief (children's and youth helpline) is 116 111. In Austria, there are also free help services, including the children's helpline on 0800 567 567 and Rat auf Draht on 147, especially for children. The same telephone number in Switzerland leads to Pro Juventute.
(cku)
