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


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 hold NSO in contempt of court.

On Monday, the Meta-owned chat app announced that it “caught and disrupted spear phishing attempts linked to NSO” after an investigation prompted by user reports. “They tried to trick people into clicking on malicious links to drive them to external websites outside of WhatsApp,” the company wrote. “We also caught them creating test accounts and groups on WhatsApp, which we took down.”

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:

  • Android spyware campaign spreads across the Middle East

    June 27, 2019

    A new campaign has been spotted making its way across the Middle East in an effort to steal device and communications data belonging to Android users. According to new research published by Kaspersky on Wednesday, the campaign — dubbed ViceLeaker — has been active since May 2018. “Dozens” of Android devices belonging to Israeli citizens were targeted in the ...

  • Western intelligence hacked ‘Russia’s Google’ Yandex to spy on accounts

    June 27, 2019

    Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex in late 2018, deploying a rare type of malware in an attempt to spy on user accounts, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The malware, called Regin, is known to be used by the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance of the ...

  • Update WhatsApp now: Bug lets snoopers put spyware on your phone with just a call

    May 14, 2019

    WhatsApp has disclosed a serious vulnerability in the messaging app that gives snoops a way to remotely inject Israeli spyware on iPhone and Android devices simply by calling the target. The bug, detailed in a Monday Facebook advisory for CVE-2019-3568, is a buffer overflow vulnerability within WhatsApp’s VOIP function. An attacker would need to call a target and ...

  • Scranos: New Rapidly Evolving Rootkit-Enabled Spyware Discovered

    April 16, 2019

    A new powerful rootkit-enabled spyware operation has been discovered wherein hackers are distributing multifunctional malware disguised as cracked software or trojanized app posing as legitimate software like video players, drivers and even anti-virus products. While the rootkit malware—dubbed Scranos—which was first discovered late last year, still appears to be a work in progress, it is continuously evolving, ...

  • This malware campaign is targeting the military with phony emails from a defence contractor

    April 16, 2019

    The Ukrainian government and military is being targeted with spear-phishing attacks as part of a cyber-espionage operation based around dropping powerful malware. These phishing attacks have been detailed by researchers at cybersecurity firm FireEye, who identified malicious emails being sent to Ukrainian military departments in January this year. The malware is being sent, presumably, with the aim of monitoring ...

  • Exodus Spyware Found Targeting Apple iOS Users

    April 5, 2019

    The surveillance tool was signed with legitimate Apple developer certificates. The spyware that was recently found lurking in 25 different malicious apps on Google Play has been ported to the Apple iOS ecosystem. The surveillance package – dubbed Exodus – can exfiltrate contacts, take audio recordings and photos, track location data and more on mobile devices. Earlier ...