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

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 Read More …

Hackers are trying to steal Signal users’ backups in new wave of phishing attacks

Hackers are targeting Signal users in an attempt to steal their chat backups as part of a new hacking campaign, TechCrunch has learned. On Wednesday, Washington Post analyst Josh Rogin posted a screenshot of a new kind of attack against Read More …

Attackers use hidden SMS and signalling systems to track targets’ location

Security researchers have just unveiled details of two covert surveillance campaigns that exploit weaknesses in the global telecom infrastructure. In a report published on Thursday, Citizen Lab explains that attackers abuse the signalling systems mobile operators use to support roaming, Read More …

US intel officials scramble to keep surveillance law running amid Iran war tensions

With just days until a powerful surveillance law lapses, US national security officials are scrambling to prepare for potential blind spots in intelligence collection amid the US’ delicate ceasefire with Iran, current and former officials told CNN. Some communications carriers Read More …

Coruna: The Mysterious Journey of a Powerful iOS Exploit Kit

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 Read More …

Hacked traffic cams and hijacked TVs: How cyber operations supported the war against Iran

On Saturday, U.S. and Israeli jets began a bombing campaign against Iran, killing its supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several senior government officials. The attacks also hit military and civilian targets all across the country, including a girls’ school, where Read More …

Predator spyware allows full sensor surveillance on iPhones

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 Read More …

Apple’s new iOS setting addresses a hidden layer of location tracking

Most iPhone owners have hopefully learned to manage app permissions by now, including allowing location access. But there’s another layer of location tracking that operates outside these controls. Your cellular carrier has been collecting your location data all along, and Read More …

Ireland proposes new law allowing police to use spyware

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 Read More …

US removes three spyware-linked executives from sanctions list

Merom Harpaz, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, and Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou – three individuals who were sanctioned by the US for alleged links to commercial spyware products, have had their bans lifted recently. In a new press release published Read More …