surveillance

Pierluigi Paganini September 29, 2021
Experts observed for the first time FinFisher infections involving usage of a UEFI bootkit

Experts spotted a new variant of the FinFisher surveillance spyware that is able to hijack and replace the Windows UEFI bootloader to infect Windows machines. Malware researchers at Kaspersky have spotted a new improvement of the infamous commercial FinSpy surveillance spyware (also known as Wingbird), it can now hijack and replace the Windows UEFI (Unified […]

Pierluigi Paganini September 15, 2021
Three formers NSA employees fined for providing hacker-for-hire services to UAE firm

Three former NSA employees entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that restricts their future activities and employment and requires the payment of a penalty. Three former NSA employees (Marc Baier, 49, Ryan Adams, 34, and Daniel Gericke, 40) entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that restricts their future activities and employment. The trio has worked as hackers-for-hire […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 24, 2021
New zero-click exploit used to target Bahraini activists’ iPhones with NSO spyware

Citizen Lab uncovered a new zero-click iMessage exploit that was used to deploy the NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware on devices belonging to Bahraini activists. Researchers from Citizen Lab spotted a zero-click iMessage exploit that was used to deploy NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware on Bahraini activists’ devices. The iPhones of nine activists, including members of the Bahrain Center for Human […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 15, 2021
Israeli surveillance firm Candiru used Windows zero-days to deploy spyware

Experts said that Israeli surveillance firm Candiru, tracked as Sourgum, exploited zero-days to deliver a new Windows spyware. Microsoft and Citizen Lab believe that the secretive Israel-based Israeli surveillance firm Candiru, tracked as Sourgum, used Windows zero-day exploits to deliver a new Windows spyware dubbed DevilsTongue. According to the experts, at least 100 activists, journalists […]

Pierluigi Paganini May 31, 2021
Denmark intel helped US NSA to spy on European politicians

Denmark’s foreign secret service allowed the US NSA to spy on European politicians through a Danish telecommunications hub. Journalists from Danish broadcaster DR recently received a document titled the Dunhammer Report, which included the findings of an investigation conducted by the Danish authorities on the spying operation. DR shared the report with other news agencies across Europe, […]

Pierluigi Paganini March 12, 2021
Internet disruption in Russia coincided with the introduction of restrictions

Experts at the NetBlocks Internet Observatory observed this week a temporary disruption of internet service in Russia due to new restrictions. On Wednesday 10 March 2021, researchers from Network data from the NetBlocks Internet Observatory observed the disruption of internet service provided by the Russian operator Rostelecom. The partial disruption of the service coincided with […]

Pierluigi Paganini October 23, 2020
US whistleblower Edward Snowden received permanent residency by Russian authorities

The popular US whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted permanent residency in Russia, the announcement was made by his lawyer. The former CIA employee and National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden (37) has been granted permanent residency in Russia, his lawyer announced on Thursday. In 2013, Edward Snowden shed the light on the mass surveillance […]

Pierluigi Paganini October 14, 2020
German authorities raid the offices of the FinFisher surveillance firm

Earlier this month, German authorities have raided the offices of FinFisher, the German surveillance software firm, accused of providing its software to oppressive regimes. German authorities have raided the offices of FinFisher, the popular German surveillance firm as part of an investigation into the alleged sale of their software to oppressive regimes. The news was first reported […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 12, 2020
Google updates policies to ban any ads for surveillance solutions and services

Google announced that starting from August it will update its policies to reject ads proposed by organizations offering surveillance software. Google announced the update of its Google Ads Enabling Dishonest Behavior policy to “prohibit the promotion of products or services that are marketed or targeted with the express purpose of tracking or monitoring another person […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 20, 2020
Hundreds of malicious Chrome browser extensions used to spy on you!

Malicious Chrome browser extensions were employed in a surveillance campaign on a large scale, millions of users potentially impacted. Malicious Chrome browser extensions were used in a massive surveillance campaign aimed at users working in the financial services, oil and gas, media and entertainment, healthcare, government organizations, and pharmaceuticals. The malicious Chrome browser extensions were […]