NSO Group

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

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

Apple says it is not aware anyone using Lockdown Mode got hacked

Last year, Apple launched a special new protection for at-risk users — such as journalists and activists — called Lockdown Mode, designed to limit some regular iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch features

Microsoft won’t say if its products were exploited by spyware zero-days

Microsoft has released patches to fix zero-day vulnerabilities in two popular open source libraries that affect several Microsoft products, including Skype, Teams and its Edge browser. But Microsoft w

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

Apple fixes zero-day bugs used to plant Pegasus spyware

Apple released security updates on Thursday that patch two zero-day exploits — meaning hacking techniques that were unknown at the time Apple found out about them — used against a member of a civi

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

Biden executive order bans federal agencies from using commercial spyware

The Biden administration on Monday announced a new executive order that would broadly ban U.S. federal agencies from using commercially developed spyware that poses threats to human rights and nationa

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

Hands-on with Lockdown Mode in iOS 16

Lockdown Mode is a new Apple feature you should hope you’ll never need to use. But for those who do, like journalists, politicians, lawyers and human rights defenders, it’s a last line of

Spyware maker Candiru linked to Chrome zero-day targeting journalists

Security researchers have linked the discovery of an actively exploited but since-fixed zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome to an Israeli spyware maker targeting journalists in the Middle East. Cy

Apple says Lockdown Mode in iOS 16 will help block government spyware attacks

Apple said Wednesday it will bring a new “Lockdown Mode” to its upcoming iPhone and Mac software that will switch off certain features aimed at helping targeted individuals combat governme

Google is notifying Android users targeted by Hermit government-grade spyware

Security researchers at Lookout recently tied a previously unattributed Android mobile spyware, dubbed Hermit, to Italian software house RCS Lab. Now, Google threat researchers have confirmed much of

Researchers say Hermit, a powerful mobile spyware, is used by governments

Security researchers at Lookout have released new details about an Android spyware deployed in targeted attacks by national governments, with victims in Kazakhstan, Syria and Italy. The spyware, which

NSO hacked new Pegasus victims weeks after Apple sought injunction

Investigators say they have found evidence that a Jordanian journalist and human rights defender’s iPhone was hacked with the Pegasus spyware just weeks after Apple sued the spyware’s make

European lawmakers launch investigation into use of Pegasus spyware by EU states

The European Parliament voted on Thursday to create a new “committee of inquiry” to investigate allegations that European member states acquired and used the powerful Pegasus mobile spywar

Spyware dealer who sold WhatsApp-hacking tech pleads guilty

A Mexican businessman admitted in federal court this week to selling spyware and hacking tools from Italy and Israel to customers in the United States and Mexico. The Justice Department said Carlos Gu

European data watchdog calls for EU-wide ban on Pegasus spyware

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has called for a bloc-wide ban on the controversial Pegasus spyware tool, warning its use could lead to an “unprecedented level of intrusiveness.” Is

Poland’s phone spyware scandal raises doubts over 2019 election

A brewing scandal over the alleged historical use of controversial mobile spyware by Poland’s ruling party against an opposition lawmaker is raising questions over the legitimacy of the country&

A new spyware-for-hire, Predator, caught hacking phones of politicians and journalists

While NSO Group was taking flak for hacking into the phones of journalists, activists and human rights defenders, an entire class of spyware makers and surveillance-for-hire outfits were operating as
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