Ethiopia using Israeli spyware to spy on dissidents, journalists

The Ethiopian government targeted dissidents around the world with spyware developed by the Israeli firm Cyberbit, according to the Toronto-based research institute The Citizen Lab. Dissidents in the United States, United Kingdom and approximately 20 total countries are targeted with phishing emails containing spyware pretending to be Adobe Flash updates and PDF plugins. Targets included Ethiopian media, a lawyer and a PhD student. A Citizen Lab researcher, Bill Marczak, was also targeted during the course of the investigation. Cyberbit, a subsidiary of the publicly traded company Elbit Systems, markets their wares at all the major offensive hacking industry conferences including ISS World and Milipol. Researchers found a public log file on the spyware’s infrastructure suggesting the company’s other clients include Thailand, Zambia and the Philippines. “Our analysis of the spyware indicates it is a product known as PC Surveillance System, a commercial spyware product… offered by Cyberbit — an Israel-based cyber security company that is a […]

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