Tootfinder

“Two European journalists were hacked using government spyware made by Israeli surveillance tech provider Paragon.”
https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/researchers-confirm-two-journalists-were-hacked-with-paragon-spyware/

Researchers confirm two journalists were hacked with Paragon spyware | TechCrunch
The confirmation of two hacked victims further deepens an ongoing spyware scandal that, for now, appears largely focused on the Italian government.

Apple fixes an iPhone zero-day used in Paragon spyware hacks after a Citizen Lab report found two European journalists had their iPhones hacked with the spyware (Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/appl

Apple fixes new iPhone zero-day bug used in Paragon spyware hacks | TechCrunch
The iPhone maker quietly updated a February security advisory to publicize a flaw that was used to hack at least two journalists in Europe.

Researchers find evidence that a second fanpage.it journalist, along with an anonymous European journalist, were targeted using Graphite spyware (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jun/12/…

Don't leave for the weekend without reading today's packed Metacurity for the most crucial infosec developments you should know, including
--Customers keep buying Predator spyware despite US sanctions
--Ukraine paralyzed top Siberian ISP,
--Meta AI shows other customers' sensitive info,
--Whole Foods still grappling with product disruptions,
--Malicious adtech is highly interconnected,
--Cybercrims are selling lost RCMP key containing informants…

Customers keep buying Predator spyware despite US sanctions
Ukraine paralyzed top Siberian ISP, Meta AI shows other customers' sensitive info, Whole Foods still grappling with product disruptions, Malicious adtech is highly interconnected, Cybercrims are selling lost RCMP key containing informants' data, BEC scammer sentenced to four years, much more

Paragon spyware activity found on more journalists’ devices https://therecord.media/paragon-graphite-spyware-journalists-apple-devices-citizen-lab

Check out today's Metacurity to stay on top of the never-ending overload of infosec developments, including
--Operation Secure disrupts infostealer malware groups worldwide
--Microsoft 365 Copilot harbored critical 'EchoLeak' security flaw,
--FIN6 targets LinkedIn recruiters,
--Smart watches can steal data from air-gapped systems,
--Cybercrims stole NHS Active Directory database,
--Two journalists hacked using Paragon spyware,
--Ransomware…

Operation Secure disrupts infostealer malware groups worldwide
Microsoft 365 Copilot harbored critical 'EchoLeak' security flaw, FIN6 targets LinkedIn recruiters. Smart watches can steal data in air-gapped systems, Cybercrims stole NHS Active Directory database, Two journalists hacked using Paragon spyware, Ransomware hits large hospitals in Maine, much more

Predator spotted in Mozambique for first time, another sign of spyware’s availability https://therecord.media/predator-spyware-mozambique

Da sieht man mal, wie gefinkelt digitale Überwachungssoftware ist. Selbst sicherlich gut abgeschirmte hohe Militärs wurden mit Spyware (womöglich Panatnir oder ähnliche) infiltriert. Folge: tödliche Attacke.
Bei NormalbürgerInnen führt das zu Verfolgung, Inhaftierung und Bedrohung.
Ich weiß schon, warum ich kein Smartphone habe und mein Handy die meiste Zeit über ausgeschaltet habe. Wer nicht misstrauisch ist, ist ein potenzielles Opfer.
Vorsorgen ist besser als nachtrauern.

Hah ha @… natürlich klappt es mit den Sonderzeichen nicht, während ihr erklärt, wie es mit den Sondernzeichen nicht klappt 🙂 https://www.

Spyware-Attacke gegen WhatsApp: NSO Group will neue Verhandlung
Zu 167 Millionen US-Dollar Strafzahlung verurteilt, stellt der Pegasus-Hersteller NSO Group einen Antrag auf Zurückweisung oder Neuanordnung des Verfahrens.
…

iVerify says it found the first evidence of an active spyware campaign targeting iPhones in the US and the EU; Apple fixed a flaw, but says it wasn't exploited (Sam Sabin/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/05/spyware-iphones-apple-iverify

Researchers uncover possible iPhone spyware campaign inside U.S.
This would be the first evidence of a spyware campaign targeting iPhones in the United States.

»Telegram, the FSB, and the Man in the Middle;
The technical infrastructure that underpins Telegram is controlled by a man whose companies have collaborated with Russian intelligence services.«
This is not surprising and it has been known for a long time that Telegram is anything but not secure. Now it is, so to speak, "unofficially" a Russia defence sector spyware.
🫤

Telegram, the FSB, and the Man in the Middle
The technical infrastructure that underpins Telegram is controlled by a man whose companies have collaborated with Russian intelligence services.

How spyware, posing as an app from a humanitarian organization, spread among Syrian army officers via Telegram, and fueled the collapse of the Assad regime (Mobile Hacker)
https://www.mobile-hacker.com/2025/06/05/an…

Analysis of Spyware That Helped to Compromise a Syrian Army from Within
This case demonstrates that effective smartphone espionage doesn't always require expensive zero-day exploits or the development of sophisticated, custom and undetected spyware. Instead, attackers can achieve significant intelligence gains using older, off-the-shelf tools like Android SpyMax—especially when combined

Spyware maker cuts ties with Italy after government refused audit into hack of journalist’s phone https://therecord.media/paragon-spyware-maker-cuts-ties-italy-government

You won't want to miss today's Metacurity for the most critical infosec developments you might have missed over the weekend, including
--Trump cyber EO reverses some parts of Biden, Obama orders
--Starlink endangers WH security,
--Nigeria convicts Chinese cybercriminals,
--US sentences Nigerian hacker,
--ICE arrests Oz hacker,
--Italy ends contract with spyware company Paragon,
--Supreme Ct. gives DOGE social security data,
--BADBOX 2.0 …

Trump cyber EO reverses some parts of Biden, Obama orders
Starlink endangers WH security, Nigeria convicts Chinese cybercriminals, US sentences Nigerian hacker, ICE arrests Oz hacker, Italy ends contract with spyware company Paragon, Supreme Ct. gives DOGE our social security data, BADBOX 2.0 infects 1m+ devices, EU issues cyber blueprint, much more

Metacurity is pleased to offer our free and premium subscribers a weekly digest of the best long-form (and longish) infosec-related pieces we couldn't properly fit into our daily news crush.
This week's selection covers
--Bashar al-Assad was toppled by spyware,
--Facial recognition threatens us all with deportation,
--VC money fuels worker surveillance,
--Will Trump launch offensive cyber ops on US networks?,
--The Pall Mall Process and commercial c…

Best infosec-related long reads for the week of 5/31/25
Bashar al-Assad was toppled by spyware, Facial recognition threatens us all with deportation, VC money fuels worker surveillance, Will Trump launch offensive cyber ops on US networks?, The Pall Mall Process and commercial cyber intrusions, Self-confidence leads to GenAI skepticism, more

I don't want a smart TV , I don't want a Smart refrigerator, I don't want a smart Dishwasher, I don't want a smart shit. I won't download your spyware (app). I won't connect it to my WiFi.

CISA, Microsoft warn of Windows zero-day used in attack on ‘major’ Turkish defense org https://therecord.media/microsoft-cisa-zero-day-turkish-defense-org

NSO appeals WhatsApp decision, says it can’t pay $168 million in ‘unlawful’ damages https://therecord.media/nso-group-appeals-jury-award-168million-