Category Archives: Whatsapp

WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group spying can proceed, judge rules

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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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In Brazil, scammers see the coronavirus as a serious money-making opportunity

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s critics say he hasn’t taken the impact of the coronavirus seriously. The same can’t be said for Brazil’s cybercriminals. As deaths from the virus have surged past 66,000 in Brazil, scammers have set up new infrastructure to dupe people who are desperate for relief, and have set up bank accounts in their names. At a time when even more people in South America’s biggest country are glued to their phones or computers, Brazil’s already-flourishing cybercriminal economy has been busy. “Scam operations have been highly effective in Brazil, from the first announcement of the government assistance program,” Jefferson Macedo, managing consultant on IBM’s X-Force security team, told CyberScoop. IBM has uncovered nearly 700 malicious websites related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, in recent months. The crooks are impersonating government apps used to sign up for financial relief and sending people a flurry of text […]

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China’s Great Firewall of Censorship Is Already Going Up Around Hong Kong

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Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Zoom have all said they will stop complying with government orders to hand over data. And that’s exactly what Beijing wanted. Continue reading China’s Great Firewall of Censorship Is Already Going Up Around Hong Kong→

Facebook reinstates NSO Group employee accounts amid ongoing lawsuit

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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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Cybercriminals are using IM platforms as marketplaces

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Cybercriminals are increasingly using IM platforms like Telegram, Discord, Jabber, WhatsApp, IRC and others to advertise and sell their goods and services, IntSight researchers have found. While traditional cybercrime sources (e.g., forums, black marke… Continue reading Cybercriminals are using IM platforms as marketplaces→

Facebook sues to stop domain scammers from impersonating Instagram, WhatsApp sites

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Facebook has filed a lawsuit meant to stop scammers from using its name to try stealing from web users. In a lawsuit filed Monday in a Virginia court, the company sued 12 websites registered by Compsys Domain Solutions Private Ltd., an Indian proxy service. With names like InstagramHijack.com, Videocall-WhatsApp.com and Facebook-Verify-Inc.com, the sites were meant to deceive users and boost internet fraud operations, Facebook alleged. The websites either were offline or included copyright advisories at press time. Although those web URLs are clunky, they look close enough to legitimate addresses to fool people, apparently. Facebook did not specify how the Compsys-registered sites were being used prior to its suit Monday. Phishing operations are one possible use. Anyone who visits a site that appears nearly identical to a true Facebook page, for instance, would be more likely to enter their username or password. It’s the latest example of U.S. companies going to court […]

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