Tootfinder

The US Treasury has lifted sanctions on three executives tied to spyware maker Intellexa, reversing a designation imposed by the Biden administration in 2024 (Suzanne Smalley/The Record)
https://therecord.media/treasury-sanctions-intellexa-removed

Treasury removes sanctions for three executives tied to spyware maker Intellexa
The Treasury Department on Tuesday took three people closely affiliated with the holding company behind Predator spyware off of a sanctions list, reversing their designation in 2024 by the Biden administration.

On Monday, researchers at cybersecurity giant Kaspersky published a report identifying a new spyware called Dante
that they say targeted Windows victims in Russia and neighboring Belarus.
The researchers said the Dante spyware is made by Memento Labs,
a Milan-based surveillance tech maker that was formed in 2019
after a new owner acquired and took over early spyware maker
Hacking Team.
Memento chief executive
Paolo Lezzi confirmed to TechCrunch that…

Exclusive: CEO of spyware maker Memento Labs confirms one of its government customers was caught using its malware
Security researchers found a government hacking campaign that relies on Windows spyware developed by surveillance tech maker Memento Labs. When reached by TechCrunch, the spyware maker's chief executive blamed a government customer for getting caught.

Treasury removes sanctions for three executives tied to spyware maker Intellexa https://therecord.media/treasury-sanctions-intellexa-removed

Well, it looks like you can't buy #Samsung any more:
"Unremovable #Spyware on Samsung Devices Comes Pre-installed on #Galaxy Series Devices"

Treasury removes sanctions for three executives tied to spyware maker Intellexa | The Record from Recorded Future News
https://therecord.media/treasury-sanctions-intellexa-removed

Trump un-banned the use of no-click, smartphone Spyware for use by ICE against immigrants & PROTESTORS.
☑️ICE reactivates contract with previously banned spyware vendor
https://wapo.st/4httse1
(Archive:

ICE reactivates contract with previously banned spyware vendor
The Biden administration had barred Paragon Solutions from U.S. government use after finding that the company’s software had been used unethically elsewhere.

A profile of the Digital Security Helpline, run by Access Now, which gives 24/7 help to reporters and others who suspect they are victims of government spyware (Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/27/m…

Meet the team that hunts government spyware
For years, Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has been aiding journalists and dissidents who have been targeted with government spyware. This is how they operate.

For more than a decade, dozens of journalists and human rights activists have been
🆘 targeted and hacked by governments all over the world.
Cops and spies in Ethiopia, Greece, Hungary, India, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, among others, have used sophisticated #spyware to compromise the phones of these victims, who at times have also faced real-world

Meet the team that hunts government spyware
For years, Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has been aiding journalists and dissidents who have been targeted with government spyware. This is how they operate.

Grüner EU-Abgeordneter stellt Strafanzeige nach Spyware-Angriff
Nach einem Spyware-Angriff hat der grüne Europaabgeordnete Daniel Freund Strafanzeige gestellt. Er beschuldigt den ungarischen Regierungschef Viktor Orbšn.

»US-Gericht verbietet NSO Group die Installation von Spyware auf WhatsApp:
Group das Ausspähen von WhatsApp und reduziert zugleich den zu zahlenden Schadenersatz.«
Das ist positiev aber so wie ich es verstehe nur WhatsApp und nicht allgemein. Ich befürchte, dass deswegen NSO Spyware trotz allem eingesetzt wird.
🕵️

US-Gericht verbietet NSO Group die Installation von Spyware auf WhatsApp
Ein US-Bezirksgericht untersagt dem Spionagesoftware-Unternehmen NSO Group das Ausspähen von WhatsApp und reduziert zugleich den zu zahlenden Schadenersatz.

The cybersecurity news machine is cranking at high levels this week, so don't miss today's Metacurity for the crucial developments you should know, including
--JLR cyberattack is the most economically damaging in UK history,
--CISA warns of Oracle E-Business Suite flaw,
--Spyware developer was targeted by spyware,
--Salt Typhoon attacked a European telco,
--TikTok could be sharing your data with the US government,
--UN Cybercrime Convention slated …

JLR cyberattack is the most economically damaging in UK history
CISA warns of Oracle E-Business Suite flaw, Spyware developer was targeted by spyware, Salt Typhoon attacked a European telco, TikTok could be sharing your data with the US government, UN Cybercrime Convention slated for weekend signoff, UK won't probe Afghan data breach, much more

Italian-made spyware spotted in breaches of Russian, Belarusian systems https://therecord.media/memento-labs-formerly-hacking-team-dante-spyware-russia-kaspersky

Bundestrojaner: BND soll zur Spyware-Installation in Wohnungen eindringen dürfen
Kanzleramt reformiert BND-Gesetz: Mehr Befugnisse, inklusive Eindringen in Wohnungen zur Installation von Spionagesoftware.

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
--The unlikely pair who pioneered RaaS,
--Lifting the lid on a global spyware operation,
--The teens who brought down Jaguar Land Rover,
--How a Log4j maintainer weathered a zero day crisis,
--Chinese spying could paralyze the UK

Best infosec-related long reads for the week of 10/18/25
The unlikely pair who pioneered RaaS, Lifting the lid on a global spyware operation, The teens who brought down Jaguar Land Rover, How a Log4j maintainer weathered a zero day crisis, Chinese spying could paralyze the UK

»Israelische Spyware-Firma angeblich an Hollywood-Produzenten verkauft:
Das bekannteste Produkt der NSO Group ist die Spähsoftware Pegasus, mit der Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten überwacht wurden.«
Was wohl Hollywood nun an Propaganda mittels Spyware verbreitet?!?? Verwunderlich ist dies mMn nicht aber um so mehr sollte die Welt das Auge auf Spyware-Services, egal welche von wo, offen haben.
🤨

Israelische Spyware-Firma angeblich an Hollywood-Produzenten verkauft
Das bekannteste Produkt der NSO Group ist die Spähsoftware Pegasus, mit der Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten überwacht wurden.

"Darknet Diaries Deutsch": Hacker im Staatsdienst
Ein staatlicher Hacker erhält den Auftrag, in das Netzwerk einer ausländischen Regierung einzudringen. Doch dann verursacht die Spyware Probleme.
https://www.

Judge rules that NSO cannot continue to install spyware via WhatsApp pending appeal https://therecord.media/judge-rules-nso-cannot-continue-whatsapp-spyware

Brüssel räumt ein: Substanzielle EU-Gelder sind an Spyware-Hersteller geflossen
Die EU-Kommission will unverzüglich die Finanzierung von Spyware-Produzenten einstellen, die sich "schweren beruflichen Fehlverhaltens" schuldig gemacht haben.

So what's a good alternative to Firefox (I'm using it when I'm not on my Mac). I don't want their new "AI Window" stuff and I don't want to support it.
It has to work on Windows and an iOS version as well, and can sync passwords between those.
Please only suggest things you personally use and like.
I'm ruling out Chrome (spyware) and Brave (homophobic owner).
(Wish Apple would still make Safari for Windows.)

»Brüssel räumt ein — Substanzielle EU-Gelder sind an Spyware-Hersteller geflossen:
Die EU-Kommission will unverzüglich die Finanzierung von Spyware-Produzenten einstellen, die sich "schweren beruflichen Fehlverhaltens" schuldig gemacht haben.«
Jetzt wird eine Firma zu recht schuldig gesprochen. Wann sehen verantwortliche Politiker*innen ein, dass Überwachung das Gegenteil von Sicherheit ist?
🇪🇺

Brüssel räumt ein: Substanzielle EU-Gelder sind an Spyware-Hersteller geflossen
Die EU-Kommission will unverzüglich die Finanzierung von Spyware-Produzenten einstellen, die sich "schweren beruflichen Fehlverhaltens" schuldig gemacht haben.

US-Investoren übernehmen Spyware-Hersteller NSO-Group
Spionage-Software Pegasus: Die umstrittene NSO-Group soll unter die Kontrolle einer US-Investorengruppe kommen. Auch Hollywood spielt angeblich eine Rolle.
https:…

A lot of journalistic pieces contain too little information. But here's one that is chock full of interesting stuff, not details, but hooks for deeper inquiry. That stuff goes far beyond the topics in the headline. For instance I had never previously considered subway cars as a potential form of spyware.
"After F-35 “Kill Switch”, Now Europe Perturbed By Chinese “Kill Switch” That Could Cripple Its Transport Infra'

After F-35 “Kill Switch”, Now Europe Perturbed By Chinese “Kill Switch” That Could Cripple Its Transport Infra
The debate about a “kill switch” in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets was hardly over when a new worry is pestering Europe. Do Chinese electric buses plying across multiple cities in Europe come with a similar “kill switch” that allows Beijing to deactivate them remotely? In the last month, multiple European countries, […]

We've made it through another work week, so before you head out for the weekend, don't miss today's Metacurity for the most critical infosec developments you should know, including
--Suspected foreign actor likely accessed lawmakers' emails and chat logs in CBO hack,
--Italian consultant is latest public victim of Paragon spyware,
--WaPo was caught up in Oracle E-Business Suite breach,
--Landfall spyware targeted Galaxy phones in campaign,
--Site-…

Suspected foreign actor likely accessed lawmakers' emails and chat logs in CBO hack
Italian consultant is latest public victim of Paragon spyware, WaPo was caught up in Oracle E-Business Suite breach, Landfall spyware targeted Galaxy phones in campaign, Site-blocking can disrupt legitimate services, DHS is spying on college football games, RTV Noord was hit by attack, much more

Federal lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
demanding information on any plans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has
to use Graphite, a spyware program that can access
— without the owner’s knowledge or consent
— a phone’s location data, photos, and encrypted applications, including WhatsApp and Signal.
Last year, the Biden administration paused the contract with Paragon Solutions, which operates Graphite,
while it …

Lawmakers Demand Information About Potential Use of Paragon Spyware by ICE
The lawmakers warned that allowing ICE to use spyware “threatens Americans’ freedom of movement and freedom of speech.”…

New spyware discovered on Belarusian journalist’s phone after interrogation https://therecord.media/spyware-belarus-journalist-rsf

Etwas mehr der heute besonders häufig geteilten #News:
US-Investoren übernehmen Spyware-Hersteller NSO-Group
https://www.

Apple announces a "major evolution" of its Security Bounty program, doubling the top award to $2M for exploit chains that could be abused for spyware attacks (Lily Hay Newman/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/apple-announces-2-million-bug-bounty-reward/

Apple Announces $2 Million Bug Bounty Reward for the Most Dangerous Exploits
With the mercenary spyware industry booming, Apple VP Ivan Krstić tells WIRED that the company is also offering bonuses that could bring the max total reward for iPhone exploits to $5 million.

Omfg
"NSO’s new executive chairman, David Friedman, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and onetime bankruptcy lawyer for President Trump, said he wants to use his ties to the Trump administration to help rebuild the company’s spyware business in the U.S."
Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Gets New Owners, Leadership and Seeks to Mend Reputation

German parliamentarian urges officials to investigate Hungary for spyware abuse https://therecord.media/german-parliament-hungary-spyware

Dienstag: Blackwell-Chip nur für die USA, EU-Gelder gingen an Spyware-Hersteller
Exportkontrollen für Nvidia-Chips EU-Subventionen in der Kritik Sam Altman gereizt Informationskontrolle in Russland Security-Katalog für TK-Anbieter

https://www.wsj.com/tech/israeli-spyware-maker-nso-gets-new-owners-leadership-and-seeks-to-mend-reputation-166ac50e
Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Gets New Owners, Leadership and Seeks to Mend Reputation

NSO seeks to overturn WhatsApp case, saying it is ‘catastrophic’ for the spyware maker https://therecord.media/nso-seeks-to-overturn-whatsapp-case

Check out today's Metacurity for the most critical infosec developments you might have missed over the weekend, including
--Trump to hand some offsec ops against adversaries to the private sector, report,
--Canada to probe billboard facial recognition use,
--Pope Leo weighs in on Italian spyware scandal,
--Oracle bug led to theft of sensitive NHS docs,
--Coupang founder will go MIA at parliamentary hearing,
--Asahi will change cyber posture after ransom…

Trump to hand some offsec ops against adversaries to the private sector, report
Canada to probe billboard facial recognition use, Pope Leo weighs in on Italian spyware scandal, Oracle bug led to theft of sensitive NHS docs, Coupang founder will go MIA at parliamentary hearing, Asahi will change cyber posture after ransomware attack, Apple issues emergency updates, much more

A US judge bars NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users and cuts the ~$168M damages verdict awarded to Meta by a jury in May to $4M, ruling it was excessive (Carly Nairn/Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/israeli-spyware-company-blocked-from-whatsap…

Judge bars NSO from targeting WhatsApp users with spyware, reduces damages in landmark case https://therecord.media/judge-bars-nso-from-targeting-whatsapp-users-lowers-damages

Khashoggi widow files complaint in France alleging Saudi government infected devices with spyware https://therecord.media/khashoggi-widow-legal-complaint-filed-alleging-saudi-government-spyware

It's a pretty big day in cybersecurity news, so don't miss today's Metacurity for the critical developments you should know, including
--Korean cops raid Coupang HQ looking for security lapses, breach perpetrator clues,
--Compromise NDAA bill is chock full of cyber provisions,
--FTC rejects petition from spyware company founder,
--Commonwealth Bank of Australia fined A$702k for breaching data rules,
--FBI warns of fake proof of life photos,
--Oz…

Korean cops raid Coupang HQ looking for security lapses, breach perpetrator clues
Compromise NDAA bill is chock full of cyber provisions, FTC rejects petition from spyware company founder, Commonwealth Bank of Australia fined A$702k for breaching data rules, FBI warns of fake proof of life photos, Oz teen social media limits go live tomorrow, much more

Italian communications executive reveals he was targeted with Paragon spyware https://therecord.media/italy-comms-exec-spyware

Check out today's Metacurity for the most critical infosec developments you might have missed over the weekend, including
--77,000-plus IP addresses are vulnerable to maximum severity React2Shell flaw,
--NCSC warns prompt injection threats might be forever,
--Apple and Google issue new spyware warnings,
--Apache Tika critical flaw allows XXE injection attacks,
--Japanese high school student accused of using ChatGPT to attack internet cafe chain,
--US is…

77,000-plus IP addresses are vulnerable to maximum severity React2Shell flaw
NCSC warns prompt injection threats might be forever, Apple and Google issue new spyware warnings, Apache Tika critical flaw allows XXE injection attacks, Japanese high school student accused of using ChatGPT to attack internet cafe chain, US issues $10m reward for Iranian hackers, much more

Researchers find Predator spyware is being used in several countries, including Iraq https://therecord.media/intellexa-predator-spyware-continues-despite-sanctions

Before you head out for the weekend, don't miss today's Metcurity for the crucial cybersecurity developments you should know, including
--US, Canada warn of Chinese-linked Brickstorm malware that gains long-term access,
--Intellexa had access to personal data of Predator spyware targets,
--Int'l partners release AI security guide for OT orgs,
--Phreeli cellco doesn't ask for identifying info,
--Taiwan suspends Rednote over fraud cases,
--Alb…

US, Canada warn of Chinese-linked Brickstorm malware that gains long-term access
Intellexa had access to personal data of Predator spyware targets, Int'l partners release AI security guide for OT orgs, Phreeli cellco doesn't ask for identifying info, Taiwan suspends Rednote over fraud cases, Albiriox Android malware evolves quickly, NCSC debuts proactive notifications, much more

European parliamentarians implore EU leadership to stop funding spyware https://therecord.media/european-parliament-stop-funding-spyware

Researchers uncover spyware targeting messaging app users in the UAE https://therecord.media/researchers-spyware-uae-infections

Each week, Metacurity offers 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 includes,
--A journalist's talks with an Iranian hacking leader ended with murder,
--Hackers attacked Aeroflot's still-insecure infrastructure,
--The war on disinformation has been dismantled,
--Trump's DOJ uses Americans' own data …

Best infosec-related long reads for the week of 12/6/25
A journalist's talks with an Iranian hacking leader ended with murder, Hackers attacked Aeroflot's still-insecure infrastructure, The war on disinformation has been dismantled, Trump's DOJ uses Americans' own data to limit voting rights, The Wassenaar Arrangement can help limit spyware exports

Apple Announces $2 Million Bug Bounty Reward for the Most Dangerous Exploits
https://www.wired.com/story/apple-announces-2-million-bug-bounty-reward/

Apple Announces $2 Million Bug Bounty Reward for the Most Dangerous Exploits
With the mercenary spyware industry booming, Apple VP Ivan Krstić tells WIRED that the company is also offering bonuses that could bring the max total reward for iPhone exploits to $5 million.