Collaborate Disseminate
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
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
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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]
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Continue reading Religious, political leaders in Togo allegedly targeted with NSO Group spyware
A federal judge in California ruled that the spyware vendor does not have sovereign immunity. Continue reading Facebook’s NSO Group Lawsuit Over WhatsApp Spying Set to Proceed
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 […]
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Continue reading WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group spying can proceed, judge rules
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 […]
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Continue reading Israeli court rejects request to revoke NSO Group’s export license
After a months-long court battle, Facebook has reinstated four accounts of people employed by Israeli software surveillance firm NSO Group, according to Israeli news outlet CTech. NSO Group employees had alleged in a suit filed last November that Facebook had unfairly blocked them from their personal accounts when Facebook’s WhatsApp sued the surveillance firm in October. An Israeli court had previously ordered Facebook to unblock the accounts in February. Last month, the court rejected Facebook’s appeal, according to CTech. It’s the latest legal scuffle between the social media giant and NSO Group, which is being sued in California over allegations its software was used to spy on thousands of WhatsApp users. In a statement to CTech, Facebook indicated the decision to reinstate the accounts would not affect the lawsuit. “Throughout the entire proceedings in Israel, NSO Group operated behind the scenes to sabotage our efforts to make it admit its responsibility for attacks […]
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Continue reading Facebook reinstates NSO Group employee accounts amid ongoing lawsuit
Amnesty International said Sunday its security team found evidence of abuse on a Moroccan journalist’s cell phone that can be tied back to spyware developed by NSO Group. The journalist, Omar Radi, was targeted by surveillance software capable of tracking texts, calls, emails, camera, and more — just days after NSO Group, the Israeli surveillance software company, announced it would stop its products from being used to perpetuate human rights abuses, according to Amnesty International. Although the attackers behind the targeting are unconfirmed, Amnesty says evidence indicates the Moroccan government is behind the surveillance. NSO Group has repeatedly said it only sells its technology to governments. The targeting of Radi came at a time when he was being repeatedly harassed by the Moroccan government between January 2019 and January 2020. Radi was targeted by a series of network injection attacks, which allowed attackers to intercept and manipulate targets’ internet traffic, Amnesty International said. […]
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