surveillance

Pierluigi Paganini December 16, 2024
Report claims that Serbian authorities abused Cellebrite tool to install NoviSpy spyware

Researchers warn of previously undetected surveillance spyware, named NoviSpy, that was found infecting a Serbian journalist’s phone. In February 2024, Serbian journalist SlaviĆĄa Milanov was summoned to a police station after a routine traffic stop. After the police released him, Milanov noticed suspicious changes to his phone settings, such as disabled data and Wi-Fi. Then […]

Pierluigi Paganini December 12, 2024
Experts discovered surveillance tool EagleMsgSpy used by Chinese law enforcement

Chinese law enforcement uses the mobile surveillance tool EagleMsgSpy to gather data from Android devices, as detailed by Lookout. Researchers at the Lookout Threat Lab discovered a surveillance tool, dubbed EagleMsgSpy, used by Chinese law enforcement to spy on mobile devices. The researchers analyzed multiple samples of the malware and gained access to internal documents obtained from […]

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 January 29, 2024
NSA buys internet browsing records from data brokers without a warrant

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) admitted to buying internet browsing records from data brokers to monitor Americans’ activity online without a court order. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released documents that confirmed the National Security Agency (NSA) buys Americans’ internet browsing records without a court order. The data acquired by the intelligence agency can […]

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 05, 2023
Swedish data protection authority rules against the use of Google Analytics

Swedish data protection watchdog warns companies against using Google Analytics due to the risk of surveillance operated by the US government. The Swedish data protection watchdog warned businesses against using Google Analytics due to the risk of surveillance carried out by the US government. The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) conducted audits against CDON, […]

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 […]

Pierluigi Paganini May 01, 2023
Iranian govt uses BouldSpy Android malware for internal surveillance operations

Iranian authorities have been spotted using the BouldSpy Android malware to spy on minorities and traffickers. Researchers at the Lookout Threat Lab have discovered a new Android surveillance spyware, dubbed BouldSpy, that was used by the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA). The researchers are tracking the spyware since March 2020, starting in […]

Pierluigi Paganini April 19, 2023
PWNYOURHOME, FINDMYPWN, LATENTIMAGE: 3 iOS Zero-Click exploits used by NSO Group in 2022

Citizen Lab reported that Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group used at least three iOS zero-click exploits in 2022. A new report from Citizen Lab states that the Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group used at least three zero-click zero-day exploits to deliver its Pegasus spyware. In 2022, the Citizen Lab analyzed the NSO Group activity after finding […]

Pierluigi Paganini April 18, 2023
Israeli surveillance firm QuaDream is shutting down amidst spyware accusations

The Israeli surveillance firm QuaDream is allegedly shutting down its operations after Citizen Lab and Microsoft uncovered their spyware. Last week Citizen Lab researchers reported that at least five civil society members were victims of spyware and exploits developed by the Israeli surveillance firm QuaDream. The victims include journalists, political opposition figures, and an NGO worker […]