Israeli spyware used to hack across 10 countries

A new report by Microsoft and internet watchdog Citizen Lab reveals that an Israeli firm's hacking tools have been used to target individuals and organisations across at least 10 countries.

The victims include journalists, opposition figures, and advocacy groups from North America and Europe. The researchers identified a few of the victims who had their iPhones hacked using surveillance software by QuaDream, a company known for being a competitor of the notorious NSO Group.

This comes as NSO Group has been blacklisted by the US government due to alleged abuses of its spyware.

In 2022, Reuters broke the news that QuaDream had secretly created a powerful hacking tool that didn't require any interaction from the device owner. This "zero-click" technology is highly coveted by hackers, spies, and law enforcement, making QuaDream a prime target for scrutiny. While it's unclear who QuaDream targeted with the tool, the mere fact of its existence could hurt the company's reputation.

The reports follow a recent executive order by President Joe Biden to limit the purchase of spyware software by US agencies.

- CyberBeat