Latest Spyware news

macOS version of elusive 'LightSpy' spyware tool discovered

A macOS version of the LightSpy surveillance framework has been discovered, confirming the extensive reach of a tool only previously known for targeting Android and iOS devices.
- Bill Toulas
- May 30, 2024
- 06:00 AM
- 0
Hacker defaces spyware app’s site, dumps database and source code

A hacker has defaced the website of the pcTattletale spyware application, found on the booking systems of several Wyndham hotels in the United States, and leaked over a dozen archives containing database and source code data.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- May 24, 2024
- 06:34 PM
- 0
US imposes visa bans on 13 spyware makers and their families

The Department of State has started imposing visa restrictions on mercenary spyware makers and peddlers, prohibiting their entry into the United States, as announced earlier in February.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- April 23, 2024
- 11:38 AM
- 0
Apple: Mercenary spyware attacks target iPhone users in 92 countries

Apple has been notifying iPhone users in 92 countries about a "mercenary spyware attack" attempting to remotely compromise their device.
- Bill Toulas
- April 11, 2024
- 10:16 AM
- 2
Google: Spyware vendors behind 50% of zero-days exploited in 2023

Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) and Google subsidiary Mandiant said they've observed a significant increase in the number of zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in attacks in 2023, many of them linked to spyware vendors and their clients.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- March 27, 2024
- 09:00 AM
- 1
U.S. sanctions Predator spyware operators for spying on Americans

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on two individuals and five entities linked to the development and distribution of the Predator commercial spyware used to target Americans, including government officials and journalists.
- Bill Toulas
- March 05, 2024
- 01:09 PM
- 0
Google says spyware vendors behind most zero-days it discovers

Commercial spyware vendors (CSV) were behind 80% of the zero-day vulnerabilities Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) discovered in 2023 and used to spy on devices worldwide.
- Bill Toulas
- February 06, 2024
- 12:27 PM
- 4
US announces visa ban on those linked to commercial spyware

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced today a new visa restriction policy that will enable the Department of State to ban those linked to commercial spyware from entering the United States.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- February 05, 2024
- 03:26 PM
- 6
More Android apps riddled with malware spotted on Google Play

An Android remote access trojan (RAT) known as VajraSpy was found in 12 malicious applications, six of which were available on Google Play from April 1, 2021, through September 10, 2023.
- Bill Toulas
- February 01, 2024
- 01:19 PM
- 1
iShutdown scripts can help detect iOS spyware on your iPhone

Security researchers found that infections with high-profile spyware Pegasus, Reign, and Predator could be discovered on compromised Apple mobile devices by checking Shutdown.log, a system log file that stores reboot events.
- Bill Toulas
- January 17, 2024
- 01:03 PM
- 1
GrapheneOS: Frequent Android auto-reboots block firmware exploits

GrapheneOS, a privacy and security-focused Android-based operating system, has posted a series of tweets on X suggesting that Android should introduce frequent auto-reboots to make it harder for forensic software vendors to exploit firmware flaws and spy on the users.
- Bill Toulas
- January 14, 2024
- 10:32 AM
- 3
iPhone Triangulation attack abused undocumented hardware feature

The Operation Triangulation spyware attacks targeting iPhone devices since 2019 leveraged undocumented features in Apple chips to bypass hardware-based security protections.
- Bill Toulas
- December 27, 2023
- 09:14 AM
- 1
SpyLoan Android malware on Google Play downloaded 12 million times

More than a dozen malicious loan apps, which are generically named SpyLoan, have been downloaded more than 12 million times this year from Google Play but the count is much larger since they are also available on third-party stores and suspicious websites.
- Bill Toulas
- December 05, 2023
- 09:27 AM
- 0
Fake 'RedAlert' rocket alert app for Israel installs Android spyware

Israeli Android users are targeted by a malicious version of the 'RedAlert - Rocket Alerts' app that, while it offers the promised functionality, acts as spyware in the background.
- Bill Toulas
- October 16, 2023
- 11:18 AM
- 0
Recently patched Apple, Chrome zero-days exploited in spyware attacks

Security researchers with the Citizen Lab and Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) revealed today that three zero-days patched by Apple on Thursday were abused as part of an exploit chain to install Cytrox's Predator spyware.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- September 22, 2023
- 02:16 PM
- 0
APT36 state hackers infect Android devices using YouTube app clones

The APT36 hacking group, aka 'Transparent Tribe,' has been observed using at least three Android apps that mimic YouTube to infect devices with their signature remote access trojan (RAT), 'CapraRAT.'
- Bill Toulas
- September 18, 2023
- 06:06 PM
- 0
CISA warns govt agencies to secure iPhones against spyware attacks

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ordered federal agencies today to patch security vulnerabilities abused as part of a zero-click iMessage exploit chain to infect iPhones with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- September 11, 2023
- 12:21 PM
- 0
'Evil Telegram' Android apps on Google Play infected 60K with spyware

Several malicious Telegram clones for Android on Google Play were installed over 60,000 times, infecting people with spyware that steals user messages, contacts lists, and other data.
- Bill Toulas
- September 10, 2023
- 10:39 AM
- 2
Apple zero-click iMessage exploit used to infect iPhones with spyware

Citizen Lab says two zero-days fixed by Apple today in emergency security updates were actively abused as part of a zero-click exploit chain (dubbed BLASTPASS) to deploy NSO Group's Pegasus commercial spyware onto fully patched iPhones.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- September 07, 2023
- 04:18 PM
- 0
Trojanized Signal and Telegram apps on Google Play delivered spyware

Trojanized Signal and Telegram apps containing the BadBazaar spyware were uploaded onto Google Play and Samsung Galaxy Store by a Chinese APT hacking group known as GREF.
- Bill Toulas
- August 30, 2023
- 11:16 AM
- 0