spyware

Pierluigi Paganini February 06, 2024
Commercial spyware vendors are behind most zero-day exploits discovered by Google TAG

Google’s TAG revealed that Commercial spyware vendors (CSV) were behind most of the zero-day vulnerabilities discovered in 2023. The latest report published by Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG), titled “Buying Spying, an in-depth report with our insights into Commercial Surveillance Vendors (CSVs)”, warns of the rise of commercial spyware vendors and the risks to free […]

Pierluigi Paganini February 06, 2024
U.S. Gov imposes visa restrictions on individuals misusing Commercial Spyware

The U.S. government imposes visa restrictions on individuals who are involved in the illegal use of commercial spyware. The U.S. State Department announced it is implementing a new policy to impose visa restrictions on individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware. The policy underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to addressing the misuse of surveillance software, […]

Pierluigi Paganini October 17, 2023
Malware-laced ‘RedAlert – Rocket Alerts’ app targets Israeli users 

Threat actors are targeting Israeli Android users with a malicious version of the ‘RedAlert – Rocket Alerts’ that hide spyware. A threat actor is targeting Israeli Android users with a spyware-laced version of the ‘RedAlert – Rocket Alerts’ app, Cloudflare warns. RedAlert – Rocket Alerts is a mobile app that provides real-time alerts about incoming […]

Pierluigi Paganini September 11, 2023
Evil Telegram campaign: Trojanized Telegram apps found on Google Play

Evil Telegram: a Trojanized version of the Telegram app was spotted on the Google Play Store, Kaspersky researchers reported. Researchers from Kaspersky discovered several Telegram mods on the Google Play Store that contained spyware, the campaign was tracked as Evil Telegram. One of the apps was downloaded more than ten million times before it was […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 20, 2023
Experts attribute WyrmSpy and DragonEgg spyware to the Chinese APT41 group

China-linked group APT41 was spotted using two previously undocumented Android spyware called WyrmSpy and DragonEgg China-linked APT group APT41 has been observed using two previously undocumented Android spyware called WyrmSpy and DragonEgg. The APT41 group, aka Winnti, Axiom, Barium, Blackfly, HOODOO) is a China-linked cyberespionage group that has been active since at least 2007. Researchers at cybersecurity firm […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 19, 2023
US Gov adds surveillance firms Cytrox and Intellexa to Entity List for trafficking in cyber exploits

The U.S. government added surveillance technology vendors Cytrox and Intellexa to an economic blocklist for trafficking in cyber exploits. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added surveillance technology vendors Intellexa and Cytrox to the Entity List for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems. The Entity List maintained […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 10, 2023
France’s government is giving the police more surveillance power

The French government is going to grant law enforcement the power to spy on suspects through smartphones and other devices. French legislators are going to approve a justice reform bill that also gives more power to law enforcement, allowing them to spy on suspects through their smartphones and other electronic devices. According to the French […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 09, 2023
Two spyware sending data of more than 1.5M users to China were found in Google Play Store

Two apps on the Google Play Store with more than 1.5 million downloads have been discovered spying on users and sending data to China. Researchers from cybersecurity firm Pradeo discovered two malicious apps on Google Play hinding spyware and spying on up to 1.5 million users. Both applications are file management apps from the same […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 07, 2023
June 2023 Security Update for Android fixed Arm Mali GPU bug used by spyware

June 2023 security update for Android released by Google fixes about fifty flaws, including an Arm Mali GPU bug exploited by surveillance firms in their spyware. The June 2023 Android Security Bulletin provides details about the fix for more than fifty vulnerabilities affecting Android devices. Security updates released this month also addressed a vulnerability, tracked […]

Pierluigi Paganini May 29, 2023
Researchers analyzed the PREDATOR spyware and its loader Alien

Cisco Talos and the Citizen Lab researchers have published a technical analysis of the powerful Android spyware Predator. Security researchers at Cisco Talos and the Citizen Lab have shared technical details about a commercial Android spyware named Predator that is sold by the surveillance firm Intellexa (formerly known as Cytrox). The researchers focused their analysis […]