Sanctioned spyware maker Intellexa had direct access to government espionage victims, researchers say


Spyware maker Intellexa had remote access to some of its government customers’ surveillance systems, giving company staffers the ability to see the personal data of people whose phones had been hacked with its Predator spyware, according to new evidence published by Amnesty International.

On Thursday, Amnesty and a coalition of media partners, including Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Greek news site Inside Story, and Swiss outlet Inside IT, published a series of reports based on leaked material from Intellexa, including internal company documents, sales and marketing material, and training videos.

Read more…
Source:  TechCrunch News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • WhatsApp says it caught new spyware attacks linked to NSO Group in violation of court order

    June 8, 2026

    WhatsApp said that it disrupted a new hacking campaign linked to NSO Group, a spyware maker that has been ensnared in countless cases of abuse all over the world. The messaging app maker accused NSO of violating an earlier court order that bars the company from targeting WhatsApp and its users with its spyware, and is seeking to ...

  • Russian spy agency says foreign spies turned officials’ smartphones into surveillance devices

    June 2, 2026

    Russia’s domestic spy agency says it has uncovered a sprawling foreign espionage operation that allegedly turned the smartphones of senior Russian officials into pocket-sized surveillance devices, though it has so far offered little in the way of evidence. In a statement Tuesday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed foreign intelligence agencies implanted malware on the mobile devices ...

  • DarkSword: Second iOS exploit chain in a month targeting iPhone users

    March 18, 2026

    A new exploit kit targeting iPhone users and stealing their sensitive data is being abused by “multiple” spyware vendors and suspected nation-state goons, security researchers said on Wednesday. The exploit kit, called DarkSword, has been in use since at least November 2025. It supports iOS versions 18.4 through 18.7, and exploits six different vulnerabilities to deploy ...

  • Coruna: The Mysterious Journey of a Powerful iOS Exploit Kit

    March 3, 2026

    Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has identified a new and powerful exploit kit targeting Apple iPhone models running iOS version 13.0 (released in September 2019) up to version 17.2.1 (released in December 2023). The exploit kit, named “Coruna” by its developers, contained five full iOS exploit chains and a total of 23 exploits. The core technical ...

  • Predator spyware allows full sensor surveillance on iPhones

    February 24, 2026

    Apple may have introduced colored status bar indicators in iOS 14 to alert users when the camera or microphone is active, but experts have warned this does not stop all malware. Spyware developed by Intellexa and Cytrox, dubbed Predator, can operate on compromised iOS devices without showing any camera or microphone indicators. Predator bypasses the indicator ...

  • Ireland proposes new law allowing police to use spyware

    January 22, 2026

    Ireland is considering new legislation to give its law enforcement agencies more surveillance powers, including allowing the use of spyware. The Irish government announced this week the introduction of the Communications (Interception and Lawful Access) Bill, which would regulate the use of “lawful interception,” the industry term for surveillance technology, including spyware made by companies such ...