Category Archives: NSO Group

Tech titans throw weight behind WhatsApp allegations in NSO surveillance lawsuit

Posted on by

Facebook’s lawsuit against Israeli software surveillance firm NSO Group just got a big boost from tech titans across the U.S. Microsoft, alongside Google, Cisco, GitHub, LinkedIn, VMWare and the Internet Association, filed an amicus brief Monday to join the lawsuit, which alleges that NSO Group exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp last year to spy on thousands of users, such as journalists, dissidents and human rights activists. More filings from other companies and organizations are expected in the coming days. Access Now, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Internet Freedom Foundation, Paradigm Initiative, Privacy International, Reporters Without Borders and Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D), are expected to file another amicus brief in support of WhatsApp on Wednesday, CyberScoop has learned. The suit, which Facebook’s WhatsApp filed last year, is currently under appeal in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Israeli firm’s lawyers have argued […]

The post Tech titans throw weight behind WhatsApp allegations in NSO surveillance lawsuit appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Tech titans throw weight behind WhatsApp allegations in NSO surveillance lawsuit→

NSO ‘Pegasus’ Hacking Tool Targets Journalists Again

Posted on by

The NSO Group sells hacking paraphernalia to oppressive regimes. Its Pegasus tool set has been caught hacking journalists.
The post NSO ‘Pegasus’ Hacking Tool Targets Journalists Again appeared first on Security Boulevard.
Continue reading NSO ‘Pegasus’ Hacking Tool Targets Journalists Again→

Tech Giants Lend WhatsApp Support in Spyware Case Against NSO Group

Posted on by

Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and others want appeals court to deny immunity to Israeli company for its alleged distribution of spyware and illegal cyber-surveillance activities. Continue reading Tech Giants Lend WhatsApp Support in Spyware Case Against NSO Group→

Zero-Click Apple Zero-Day Uncovered in Pegasus Spy Attack

Posted on by

The phones of 36 journalists were infected by four APTs, possibly linked to Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Continue reading Zero-Click Apple Zero-Day Uncovered in Pegasus Spy Attack→

Zero-click iPhone exploit, NSO Group spyware used to target Mideast journalists, Citizen Lab says

Posted on by

Hackers suspected to work for the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates breached 36 devices belonging to Al Jazeera journalists in recent months by using a zero-click iPhone exploit and NSO Group spyware, according to new Citizen Lab research published Sunday. The suspected government hackers behind the operations had a particularly pernicious tactic for accessing their targets — an iPhone iMessage that requires zero interaction from the target to work, according to the researchers. Citizen Lab is based at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. The hacking operations, which researchers attribute to the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE with “medium confidence,” could have allowed the operators to record audio, take pictures, track device location and access passwords or stored credentials on compromised phones, the researchers said. Qatar, where Al Jazeera is based, historically has a fraught relationship with […]

The post Zero-click iPhone exploit, NSO Group spyware used to target Mideast journalists, Citizen Lab says appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Zero-click iPhone exploit, NSO Group spyware used to target Mideast journalists, Citizen Lab says→

Researchers suggest 25 countries are using a kind of mobile spyware that monitors texts, location

Posted on by

A private surveillance firm that exploits mobile network vulnerabilities to spy on calls, texts and location data is doing business with at least 25 governments around the globe, including some with histories of human rights abuses, concludes a report released Tuesday. The findings from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab scrutinize the work of the company Circles, which is a sister firm of the Israeli software surveillance broker NSO Group. Human rights activists frequently criticize NSO Group for selling its equipment to repressive regimes, a charge it rejects, even as it is the subject of a lawsuit from Facebook, which alleges that attackers used NSO Group tech to spy on thousands of WhatsApp users. The countries Citizen Lab identified as “likely” customers of Circles: Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Serbia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. […]

The post Researchers suggest 25 countries are using a kind of mobile spyware that monitors texts, location appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Researchers suggest 25 countries are using a kind of mobile spyware that monitors texts, location→

Religious, political leaders in Togo allegedly targeted with NSO Group spyware

Posted on by

The list of people allegedly targeted by NSO Group surveillance software is growing by the day. Religious and political opposition leaders in Togo were targeted last year with spyware developed by Israeli software surveillance firm NSO Group, according to security researchers at University of Toronto Munk School’s Citizen Lab. Like many of the company’s past actions, the alleged NSO surveillance in Togo used Facebook’s WhatsApp to target religious clergy and politicians, Citizen Lab researchers said. The effort was part of a broader hacking campaign that targeted thousands of WhatsApp users with NSO Group spyware in 2019, according to Citizen Lab. NSO Group has repeatedly said that its software is only sold to law enforcement or intelligence agencies in order to target terrorists and criminals. But the revelations about surveillance in Togo are just the latest allegations that NSO Group spyware has enabled surveillance of political opponents and other perceived government […]

The post Religious, political leaders in Togo allegedly targeted with NSO Group spyware appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Religious, political leaders in Togo allegedly targeted with NSO Group spyware→

WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group spying can proceed, judge rules

Posted on by

A federal judge in California ruled Thursday evening that Facebook’s lawsuit alleging that NSO Group technology was used to spy on thousands of WhatsApp users can move forward. Facebook, which filed the suit last year, alleged NSO Group had exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp to deploy its malware against human rights activists, journalists, and political dissidents. The decision marks a blow for the Israeli software surveillance company, which has vigorously denied the allegations and fought to get the suit thrown out of court. In allowing the case to move forward, the judge threw cold water on several of NSO Group’s arguments, leaving open the possibility the firm would have to reveal information about its clients and their spying targets. A WhatsApp spokesperson applauded the decision. “We are pleased with the Court’s decision permitting us to move ahead with our claims that NSO engaged in unlawful conduct. The decision also confirms that WhatsApp […]

The post WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group spying can proceed, judge rules appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group spying can proceed, judge rules→

Israeli court rejects request to revoke NSO Group’s export license

Posted on by

An Israeli judge has ruled against revoking the export license of Israeli software surveillance firm NSO Group, despite allegations its software has been used to target human rights activists and political dissidents around the globe. Amnesty International filed the lawsuit in Israel last year alleging one of its employees had been targeted by Pegasus, NSO Group’s signature software. But the judge overseeing the case said that Amnesty had not provided sufficient evidence to show that Pegasus was used against the alleged targets, according to Haaretz, which first reported the decision. Security researchers and human rights groups have claimed that Pegasus has been used to target political dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists, including an Amnesty employee, in several countries. Most notably, Pegasus is alleged to have been used to target associates of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi before he was murdered. Amnesty alleged in June that the technology was also being […]

The post Israeli court rejects request to revoke NSO Group’s export license appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Israeli court rejects request to revoke NSO Group’s export license→