SINA technology in detail

How Egisto Ott’s agent laptops work

There are different models of SINA laptops, the picture shows a particularly robust one for use in the "field". The hardware comes from the German supplier Roda.(Bild: Secunet)

In the espionage thriller surrounding former constitutional protection officer Egisto Ott, who is alleged to have spied for Putin's secret service for years, investigators have discovered special laptops with potentially explosive content - SINA laptops - during raids in Vienna and Carinthia. A third such computer is said to have been handed over to the FSB on behalf of the fugitive Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek. But why is this so dangerous? And what special features do the laptops have? Krone+ explains the technology behind them.

From the outside, it is not necessarily obvious that the devices are sophisticated technology for working with top secret documents. SINA laptops - there are different models - look no different to "ordinary" Thinkpads from Lenovo. However, there are also so-called hardened models for work in the "field". They are shock, dust and water resistant and are intensively tested for their durability in accordance with military standards. But that is not their only special feature.