Forwarded from BlackBox (Security) Archiv
Exclusive: Government officials around the globe targeted for hacking through WhatsApp
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior government officials in multiple U.S.-allied countries were targeted earlier this year with hacking software that used Facebook Inc's (FB.O) WhatsApp to take over users' phones, according to people familiar with the messaging company's investigation.
Sources familiar with WhatsApp’s internal investigation into the breach said a “significant” portion of the known victims are high-profile government and military officials spread across at least 20 countries on five continents. Many of the nations are U.S. allies, they said.
The hacking of a wider group of top government officials' smartphones than previously reported suggests the WhatsApp cyber intrusion could have broad political and diplomatic consequences.
WhatsApp filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Israeli hacking tool developer NSO Group. The Facebook-owned software giant alleges that NSO Group built and sold a hacking platform that exploited a flaw in WhatsApp-owned servers to help clients hack into the cellphones of at least 1,400 users between April 29, 2019, and May 10, 2019.
The total number of WhatsApp users hacked could be even higher. A London-based human rights lawyer, who was among the targets, sent Reuters photographs showing attempts to break into his phone dating back to April 1.
While it is not clear who used the software to hack officials' phones, NSO has said it sells its spyware exclusively to government customers.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKBN1XA27N
#WhatsApp #Hack #government #military
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📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_ES
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior government officials in multiple U.S.-allied countries were targeted earlier this year with hacking software that used Facebook Inc's (FB.O) WhatsApp to take over users' phones, according to people familiar with the messaging company's investigation.
Sources familiar with WhatsApp’s internal investigation into the breach said a “significant” portion of the known victims are high-profile government and military officials spread across at least 20 countries on five continents. Many of the nations are U.S. allies, they said.
The hacking of a wider group of top government officials' smartphones than previously reported suggests the WhatsApp cyber intrusion could have broad political and diplomatic consequences.
WhatsApp filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Israeli hacking tool developer NSO Group. The Facebook-owned software giant alleges that NSO Group built and sold a hacking platform that exploited a flaw in WhatsApp-owned servers to help clients hack into the cellphones of at least 1,400 users between April 29, 2019, and May 10, 2019.
The total number of WhatsApp users hacked could be even higher. A London-based human rights lawyer, who was among the targets, sent Reuters photographs showing attempts to break into his phone dating back to April 1.
While it is not clear who used the software to hack officials' phones, NSO has said it sells its spyware exclusively to government customers.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKBN1XA27N
#WhatsApp #Hack #government #military
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_ES
Forwarded from BlackBox (Security) Archiv
China due to introduce face scans for mobile users
People in China are now required to have their faces scanned when registering new mobile phone services, as the authorities seek to verify the identities of the country's hundreds of millions of internet users.
The #regulation, announced in September, was due to come into effect on Sunday.
The #government says it wants to "protect the legitimate rights and interest of #citizens in #cyberspace".
#China already uses #facial #recognition #technology to #survey its #population.
It is a world leader in such technologies, but their intensifying use across the country in recent years has sparked debate.
What are the new rules?
When signing up for new mobile or mobile data contracts, people are already required to show their national identification card (as required in many countries) and have their photos taken.
But now, they will also have their faces scanned in order to verify that they are a genuine match for the ID provided.
China has for years been trying to enforce rules to ensure that everyone using the internet does so under their "real-name" identities.
In 2017, for example, new rules required internet platforms to verify a user's true identity before letting them post online content.
The new regulation for telecom operators was framed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a way to "strengthen" this system and ensure that the government can identify all mobile phone users. Most Chinese internet users access the web via their phones.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50587098
👉🏼 Read as well:
https://gizmodo.com/chinese-citizens-will-have-to-scan-their-faces-to-get-i-1838936778
#surveillance #thinkabout #why
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
People in China are now required to have their faces scanned when registering new mobile phone services, as the authorities seek to verify the identities of the country's hundreds of millions of internet users.
The #regulation, announced in September, was due to come into effect on Sunday.
The #government says it wants to "protect the legitimate rights and interest of #citizens in #cyberspace".
#China already uses #facial #recognition #technology to #survey its #population.
It is a world leader in such technologies, but their intensifying use across the country in recent years has sparked debate.
What are the new rules?
When signing up for new mobile or mobile data contracts, people are already required to show their national identification card (as required in many countries) and have their photos taken.
But now, they will also have their faces scanned in order to verify that they are a genuine match for the ID provided.
China has for years been trying to enforce rules to ensure that everyone using the internet does so under their "real-name" identities.
In 2017, for example, new rules required internet platforms to verify a user's true identity before letting them post online content.
The new regulation for telecom operators was framed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a way to "strengthen" this system and ensure that the government can identify all mobile phone users. Most Chinese internet users access the web via their phones.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50587098
👉🏼 Read as well:
https://gizmodo.com/chinese-citizens-will-have-to-scan-their-faces-to-get-i-1838936778
#surveillance #thinkabout #why
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv