India pulls mandate to preinstall government app on smartphones

India has backed away from its plan to force smartphone makers to preinstall a government app on all devices, following backlash and mounting concerns that the mandate would expand state access to users’ devices and weaken privacy protections. On Wednesday, Read More …

LANDFALL: New Commercial-Grade Android Spyware in Exploit Chain Targeting Samsung Devices

Unit 42 researchers have uncovered a previously unknown Android spyware family, which we have named LANDFALL. To deliver the spyware, attackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-21042) in Samsung’s Android image processing library. The specific flaw LANDFALL exploited, CVE-2025-21042, is not Read More …

Phone location data of top EU officials available for sale

Journalists in Europe found it was “easy” to spy on top European Union officials using commercially obtained location histories sold by data brokers, despite the continent having some of the strongest data protection laws in the world. EU officials said Read More …

Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones

A security vulnerability in a stealthy Android spyware operation called Catwatchful has exposed thousands of its customers, including its administrator. The bug, which was discovered by security researcher Eric Daigle, spilled the spyware app’s full database of email addresses and Read More …

FBI probes effort to impersonate White House chief of staff Susie Wiles

One or more unknown people accessed White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ personal cellphone and used her contacts file to reach out to other top officials and impersonate her, sources told CBS News Thursday. Some of the recipients realized Read More …

Russia launches production of smartphones with protection against data leaks

Companies of the state corporation Rostec and the Rostelecom operator have launched a production line for the assembly of Russian smartphones AYYA T1 with protection against data leakage, the Aurora mobile operating system reported. The Aurora mobile operating system is Read More …

Canada bans Chinese app WeChat from government devices

Canada has announced it will ban WeChat on government devices. The Chinese-owned app is sometimes referred to as the “everything app” – like WhatsApp, Facebook, Amazon and Tinder all in one. However Western governments have security concerns about it, mainly Read More …

Cyprus: Surveillance firm pays $1 million fine after ‘spy van’ scandal

The Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection in Cyprus has collected a $1 million fine from intelligence company WiSpear for gathering mobile data from various individuals arriving at the airport in Larnaca. While this is just an administrative Read More …

New PhoneSpy Android Spyware Poses Pegasus-Like Threat

Researchers discovered new Android spyware that provides similar capabilities to NSO Group’s Pegasus controversial software. Called PhoneSpy, the mobile surveillance-ware has been spotted activity targeting South Koreans without their knowledge. PhoneSpy disguises itself as a legitimate application and gives attackers Read More …

Mobile phishing attacks targeting energy sector surge by 161%

Mobile phishing attacks targeting employees in the energy industry have risen by 161% compared to last year’s (H2 2020) data, and the trend is showing no signs of slowing down. Although the perils of outdated and vulnerable devices plague all Read More …