Polish minister says government used spyware against hundreds of people

The use of spyware in Poland under the previous government resulted in accusations that the authorities were abusing power and eroding democratic guardrails. Poland’s prosecutor general said on Wednesday that Pegasus spyware was used against hundreds of people during the Read More …

Spain reopens Israeli spyware probe, sharing information with France

Spain’s High Court on Tuesday reopened an investigation into the use of Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group’s Pegasus software to spy on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other Spanish politicians. The investigators will share information with France, where politicians and Read More …

Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them that may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. The company sent the alerts to individuals in 92 nations at 12pm Pacific Time Wednesday. It did Read More …

HPSCI: Bill Seeks to Expand Surveillance Powers to Combat International Drug Trafficking

In a significant move on Capitol Hill, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), both serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, this week introduced a groundbreaking bipartisan bill aimed at bolstering the United States’ efforts against Read More …

YouTube ordered to reveal the identities of video viewers

Federal US authorities have asked Google for the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and user activity of accounts that watched certain YouTube videos, according to unsealed court documents Forbes has seen. Of those users that weren’t logged in when they watched Read More …

UK: ‘Mass surveillance’ fears over law change plans

The UK tech industry has deep concerns over government plans to amend a law dubbed a “snooper’s charter”. Ministers insist their changes to the Investigatory Powers Act is intended to keep UK citizens safe. But, in a statement, trade body techUK Read More …

China’s top anti-espionage authority warns of secret leaks through smart wearable devices

China’s top anti-espionage authority warned on Friday that various smart wearable devices may become “cyber spies” used by foreign intelligence agencies to carry out espionage activities, posing a threat to national security. The Ministry of State Security (MSS) said on Read More …

Spyware startup Variston is losing staff – some say it’s closing

In July 2022, someone sent Google a batch of malicious code that could be used to hack Chrome, Firefox, and PCs running Microsoft Defender. That code was part of an exploitation framework called Heliconia. And at the time, the exploits Read More …

Hackers uncover new TheTruthSpy stalkerware victims

A consumer-grade spyware operation called TheTruthSpy poses an ongoing security and privacy risk to thousands of people whose Android devices are unknowingly compromised with its mobile surveillance apps, not least due to a simple security flaw that its operators never Read More …

Buying Spying: How the commercial surveillance industry works and what can be done about it

Private sector firms have been involved in discovering and selling exploits for many years, but there is a rise in turnkey espionage solutions. Commercial Surveillance Vendors (CSVs) offer pay-to-play tools that bundle an exploit chain designed to get past security Read More …