Spyware

Price of zero-day exploits rises as companies harden products against hackers

Tools that allow government hackers to break into iPhones and Android phones, popular software like the Chrome and Safari browsers, and chat apps like WhatsApp and iMessage, are now worth millions of

Investors’ pledge to fight spyware undercut by past investments in US malware maker

On Monday, the Biden administration announced that six new countries had joined an international coalition to fight the proliferation of commercial spyware, sold by companies such as NSO Group or Inte

Four things we learned when US intelligence chiefs testified to Congress

Cyberattacks, regional conflict, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, commercial spyware, AI, misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes and TikTok. These are just some of the top perceived threats

Spyware makers express concern after US sanctions spyware veteran

Earlier this week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against the founder of a controversial government spyware maker, Tal Dilian, and his business associate, Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou. In an

US sanctions founder of spyware maker Intellexa for targeting Americans

The U.S. government announced Tuesday sanctions against the founder of the notorious spyware company Intellexa and one of his business partners. This is the first time the U.S. government has targeted

Spyware startup Variston is losing staff — some say it’s closing

In July 2022, someone sent Google a batch of malicious code that could be used to hack Chrome, Firefox, and PCs running Microsoft Defender. That code was part of an exploitation framework called Helic

Government hackers targeted iPhone owners with zero-days, Google says

Government hackers last year exploited three unknown vulnerabilities in Apple’s iPhone operating system to target victims with spyware developed by a European startup, according to Google. On Tu

Founder of spyware maker Hacking Team arrested for attempted murder: local media

The founder of the infamous and now-defunct spyware maker Hacking Team was arrested on Saturday after allegedly stabbing and attempting to murder a relative, according to multiple news reports. David

Google patches zero-day exploited by commercial spyware vendor

Google has rushed to patch a zero-day vulnerability in Chrome that was exploited by a commercial spyware vendor. The vulnerability was reported to the Chrome team by Clement Lecigne of Google’s Thre

Polish Senate says use of government spyware is illegal in the country

A special commission within Poland’s Senate concluded that the government’s use of spyware, like the one made by NSO Group, is illegal. The commission announced on Thursday the conclusion of i

US government adds two more spyware makers to denylist

The U.S. government put Intellexa and Cytrox, two European spyware makers, on an economic denylist on Tuesday. The addition of the two companies, based in Greece and Hungary, as well as two related en

Researchers say they found spyware used in war for the first time

Security researchers and digital rights organizations believe the government of Azerbaijan used spyware produced by NSO Group to target a government worker, journalists, activists and the human rights

Apple’s high security mode blocked NSO spyware, researchers say

Last year, Apple launched a new feature for iPhone users who are worried about getting targeted with sophisticated spyware, such as journalists or human rights defenders. Now, researchers say they hav

Mercenary spyware hacked iPhone victims with rogue calendar invites, researchers say

Hackers using spyware made by a little known cyber mercenary company used malicious calendar invites to hack the iPhones of journalists, political opposition figures and an NGO worker, according to tw

Hackers used spyware made in Spain to target users in the UAE, Google says

In November 2022, Google revealed the existence of a then-unknown spyware vendor called Variston. Now, Google researchers say they have seen hackers use Variston’s tools in the United Arab Emirates.

Digital rights defenders infiltrate alleged mercenary hacking group

Cooper Quintin has been tracking the activities of a cyber mercenary group called Dark Caracal for years. On July 28, 2022, he said he discovered traces of a new ongoing hacking campaign by the group

New York attorney general orders stalkerware maker to notify hacked victims

A New York-based spyware maker has agreed to notify the individuals whose phones were compromised by its mobile surveillance software, following a deal with the New York attorney general’s offic

Supreme Court declines to block WhatsApp lawsuit over NSO phone hacking

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to block a lawsuit brought by WhatsApp challenging the alleged mass phone hacking by Israeli spyware maker NSO Group. Meta-owned WhatsApp first filed a suit against

Apple fixes ‘actively exploited’ zero-day security vulnerability affecting most iPhones

Apple has confirmed that an iPhone software update it released two weeks ago fixed a zero-day security vulnerability that it now says was actively exploited. The update, iOS 16.1.2, landed on November

Spyware vendor Variston exploited Chrome, Firefox and Windows zero-days, says Google

A Barcelona-based company that bills itself as a custom security solutions provider exploited several zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows, and Chrome and Firefox browsers to plant spyware, say Google
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