Zero-Click Apple Zero-Day Uncovered in Pegasus Spy Attack
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
Category Archives: united arab emirates
UAE, Egypt, Nigeria cited as sources of latest information operations blocked by Facebook
Facebook has removed hundreds of pages and accounts spreading propaganda on behalf of marketing agencies in Egypt, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, in the latest takedown demonstrating how so-called coordinated inauthentic behavior is not just a tactic of governments. The company scrubbed 211 accounts, 107 pages, 43 groups and 87 accounts for engaging in information operations, according to a blog post Thursday from Nathaniel Gliecher, head of cybersecurity policy. Operators of the network relied on fake accounts to spread content, promote local news and generate engagement meant to increase interest in the UAE. The activity was linked to the marketing firms Charles Communications, in UAE; Nigeria’s MintReach; and a company called Flexell in Egypt, Facebook said. Facebook’s action was the result of an independent BuzzFeed News investigation that found the network after Facebook in August announced it had removed more than 350 pages and accounts operated out of UAE and Egypt. No more […]
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A Saudi Cybersecurity Company Tried to Buy Zero Day Exploits from Me
We recently got a rare look at how a company tried to source these exploits through private one-on-one deals—because the company came to us. Continue reading A Saudi Cybersecurity Company Tried to Buy Zero Day Exploits from Me
ISS World: The traveling spyware roadshow for dictatorships and democracies
At 3:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 20, masked men rushed into Ahmed Mansoor’s family home and took him into custody. An internationally-renowned human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates, Mansoor and his family were left without explanation as to why he was being taken away. However, they are accustomed to this type of situation. Mansoor has been a constant target of government pressure for a decade, including being jailed for eight months in 2011 for “insulting officials.” The pressure often takes the form of an endless stream of cyberattacks and surveillance. The March incident was no different, as police confiscated all of his electronic devices, many of which have been the target of repeated government-sponsored hacking. Mansoor’s unparalleled history of being hacked has led observers to label him the most spied upon man in the world. “They’re really, really trying to get this guy as much as they can,” Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak […]
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Al Jazeera comes under cyberattack as Persian Gulf crisis escalates
Al Jazeera Media Network, the state-funded broadcaster partly owned by Qatar’s ruling family, is “undergoing systematic and continual hacking attempts,” the company announced on Thursday. “These attempts are gaining intensity and taking various forms.” There has been no compromise of any Al Jazeera systems, according to a statement on the news organization’s website. The cyberattacks against Al Jazeera closely follow a rash of political hacks across Persian Gulf states that triggered a diplomatic crisis over alleged Qatari connections to radical and terrorist networks. CyberScoop has reached out to Al Jazeera and will update this story when we receive a response. In the last two weeks, a Qatari media outlet was hacked apparently to plant fake quotes from Emir Sheikh Tamim, emails were leaked from the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States and the Twitter account of Bahrain’s Foreign Minister was hacked to post pro-militant propaganda. The connection between all the events remains […]
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United Arab Emirates Is Considering Building a Fake Mountain to Bring Real Rain
A Colorado scientist says he’s researching whether building a giant artificial mountain can combat drought. Continue reading United Arab Emirates Is Considering Building a Fake Mountain to Bring Real Rain