eBay: Biometric Device with Identities of U.S. Servicemen and Afghan Allies sold for $68

A U.S. military The device was used to record and store information about military personnel, Afghanis who served with the U.S., terrorists and other individuals. According to reports, it was found on an online auction platform and sold for $68.

Matthias Marx, a German security researcher and author, is the buyer. Marx and his group purchased the device (known as a Secure Electronic Enrollment System or SEEK II) from eBay in August. The New York Times.

Researchers had received reports that biometric devices were being used by the Taliban following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. To assess the potential risk to thousands of Afghanis who served with the U.S. military for its 20-year occupation, the researchers studied the machines.

Marx and his team also purchased five additional biometric devices from ebay, in addition to the SEEK II. They also claimed that they had found sensitive, identifiable information from U.S. servicemen. The device was last used in Jordan back in 2013.

“The irresponsible handling of this high-risk technology is unbelievable,” Marx spoke to Times. “It is incomprehensible to us that the manufacturer and former military users do not care that used devices with sensitive data are being hawked online.”

Marx granted the Times access to the SEEK II information. It contained unencrypted, identifiable information including fingerprints and retinal scans of approximately 2,632 individuals. According to the Times this device was last used 10 years ago in Afghanistan.

“It was disturbing that they didn’t even try to protect the data,” Marx said. “They didn’t care about the risk, or they ignored the risk.”

The U.S. military couldn’t verify the information reported on the biometric scan.

“Because we have not reviewed the information contained on the devices, the department is not able to confirm the authenticity of the alleged data or