Expert casts doubt on ‘sophisticated’ bug found in De Ruyter’s car

A security expert has essentially poured cold water over reports of Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter finding a suspiscious device hidden inside his car. It was Sunday Times that broke the story – De Ruyter, who has been on the receiving end of calls to step down due to the current load shedding crisis, told the publication he was cleaning his Volvo when he made the odd discovery.

“I was in the back of my Volvo when I saw something strange on the floor underneath the driver’s seat. The device – a motherboard filled with microchips, immediately looked out of place. I assume it was stuck to the bottom of the seat and must have come loose,” he is quoted as having said.

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SECURITY EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON BUG FOUND IN DE RUYTER’S CAR

After finding the device, Andre De Ruyter reportedly turned to retired commissioner George Fizaz, whose company then launched its investigation to help identify it. Fizaz is said to have then told De Ruyter that the piece of equipment appeared to be quite sophisticated and so advanced that very few people are able to produce it.

According to Fizaz, the bug could have been used to track De Ruyter’s location and listen to conversations, along with other features.

But Daniel Cuthbert, who analysed photographs of the device, told My Broadband that the bug is far from being complicated or experly-produced, and actually looks like the remote of an electric gate.

“Honestly, it looks like a gate remote,” Cuthbert is quoted as having said.

He said it looks like an off-the-shelf device with very limited capabilities.