Italian communications company’s software used to hack smartphones to spy on users in Italy և Kazakhstan, Google condemns spyware industry “Thriving”. “These companies are spreading dangerous hacking tools, arming governments that would not otherwise be able to develop those skills.” says the tech giant in a statement on Thursday.
Google engineers explain that the victims, users of Android (Google) and iOS (Apple) smartphones, received a link to install malicious applications, which then allow them to spy on their mobile activities or extract documents. In some cases, hackers operate with the complicity of ISPs, և applications are similar to operators’ applications. Otherwise they are messengers like WhatsApp.
According to Google, the software used is RCS Lab, an Italian company that: “Provides the latest technological solutions to security services for communication control”, reports its website. He did not immediately respond to AFP’s request. A California-based group that identified the victims in Italy and Kazakhstan says it has warned users of infected Android devices to “make changes” to protect all users.
Apple has taken action
Apple, in turn, told AFP that it has taken measures against hackers. In September, the iPhone maker had to urgently fix a computer flaw that Pegasus, the spy software of the Israeli company NSO, was able to use to infect the brand’s smartphones without even using links or buttons.
According to several associations that uncovered the mass espionage scandal through Pegasus last July, tens of thousands of phones have been infected, including members of the French government. Google engineers, who are closely following more than 30 companies in this field, say that the spyware industry is “growing rapidly.”
“Our research shows the extent to which spyware vendors have spread these tools, which have historically been used only by governments.”they detail. “It makes the Internet less secure, it threatens the trust of users.” They point out that these tools, even under international law, are often used by governments for non-democratic purposes, in particular to target political activists, journalists or human rights activists.
Source: Le Figaro
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