Archiv: Predator (spy program)


12.07.2023 - 06:20 [ Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor ]

EU’s shocking greenlighting of spyware against journalists is extremely dangerous for media freedom

In the first place, proposing to give governments the power to spy on journalists’ phones and computers puts journalists’ sources at risk of identification and provides a high deterrent for “whistleblowers”, threatening the fundamental confidentiality of journalists’ sources and fostering a climate of impunity out of the fear of speaking up and being surveilled.

Secondly, through this new provision, the Council strongly incentivizes the deployment of threatening spyware based solely on Member States’ discretion, despite the numerous recent high-profile scandals involving the use of malware, such as Pegasus and Predator, to subtly surveil journalists and politicians’ communications, suppress dissent and undermine democracy.

21.05.2023 - 21:33 [ Nature.com ]

The race to save the Internet from quantum hackers

(08 February 2022)

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10.05.2023 - 09:15 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

PEGA-Untersuchungsausschuss: Geheimdienste nutzen Staatstrojaner und schweigen

Der Staatstrojaner-Untersuchungsausschuss im EU-Parlament hatte am 20. April seine letzte Anhörung. Zwei Staatstrojaner-Opfer berichteten über ihre Erfahrungen.

Artemis Seaford war Sicherheitsbeauftragte bei Meta und ist Staatsbürgerin von USA und Griechenland. Im März berichtete die New York Times, dass Seaford vom griechischen Geheimdienst abgehört und mehrere Monate mit dem Staatstrojaner Predator überwacht wurde, wie so viele in Griechenland.

Der griechische Geheimdienst hat eine normale Telefonüberwachung verwendet, um ihr Endgerät mit dem Staatstrojaner Predator zu infizieren. Seaford bezeichnet die Kombination der Macht des Staates mit der technologischen Kapazität von Trojanern als erschreckend.

Seaford weiß bis heute nicht, warum der Geheimdienst sie gehackt und überwacht hat.

28.03.2023 - 16:19 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Kommerzielle Staatstrojaner: Bidens Verordnung ist nur der erste Schritt

Das dürfte das Aus für Staatstrojaner wie Pegasus oder Predator in den USA sein. Wie sie ist kaum ein größeres Trojaner-Unternehmen ohne Skandal. Regierungen überwachen mit den Staatstrojanern Dissident:innen oder setzen sie gegen Medienschaffende ein. Erst letzte Woche wurde bekannt, dass die griechische Regierung eine Managerin von Meta mit US-Staatsbürgerschaft abgehört haben soll. Schon vor zwei Jahren wurde bekannt, dass US-Diplomaten auf der Zielliste von Pegasus standen.

Was die Anordnung Bidens nicht verbietet: All die Hacking-Tools, die US-Behörden selbst entwickeln. Und Staatstrojaner von Herstellern, die noch nicht in autoritären Regimen gefunden wurden und die die USA als vertrauenswürdig einstufen.

28.03.2023 - 16:10 [ New York Times ]

Biden Acts to Restrict U.S. Government Use of Spyware

The president signed an executive order seeking to limit deployment of a tool that has been abused by autocracies — and some democracies — to spy on dissidents, human rights activists and journalists.

29.01.2023 - 08:36 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Umstrittene Spähsoftware: Bundesbehörde in Kontakt mit „Intellexa“

Ob Software von „Intellexa“ oder deren Tochterunternehmen von deutschen Sicherheitsbehörden verwendet wird, ist auch Gegenstand einer aktuellen Anfrage der Linkspartei an die Bundesregierung. Die Antworten liegen jetzt dem SWR und der „WELT“ vor. Die meisten Fragen bleiben unter Verweis aufs Staatswohl unbeantwortet. Selbst in eingestufter Form, also unter Wahrung der Vertraulichkeit, verweigert die Bundesregierung Antworten.

16.12.2022 - 23:00 [ Haaretz ]

‚Existential Threat‘: Hi-tech Execs Warn Netanyahu Against Undermining Israel‘s Justice System

„However, harming the court‘s status, as well as harming the rights of minorities based on religion, race, gender or sexual orientation, will constitute a real existential threat to the glorious high-tech industry that has been built in Israel with great effort over the past three decades.“

The authors later noted the large amounts of money coming to the industry from the U.S. and Europe: „These investors are of course looking for financial returns on their investment, but they also share significant fundamental values with the countries and industries in which they invest.

08.11.2022 - 03:17 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Spionageskandal in Griechenlan: Wer steckt hinter dem Staatstrojaner-Einsatz?

Berichterstatterin Sophie in’t Veld vergleicht in der Pressekonferenz das Stochern im Spionage-Nebel mit dem Rätsel eines Kriminalromans: „Wer hatte ein Motiv, die Mittel und die Gelegenheit [zum Einsatz dieser Software]?“, fragt sie. In ihren Augen kommen nur zwei Verdächtige infrage – viele mögliche Szenarien gebe es schließlich nicht. Entweder habe die Firma Intellexa, die Predator vertreibt, selbst die Spionagesoftware eingesetzt – oder eben die griechische Regierung unter Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Auch wenn es keine Beweise gebe, deute alles darauf hin, dass Menschen in Regierungskreisen Predator eigesetzt haben.

14.09.2022 - 09:26 [ BBC ]

Greece wiretap and spyware claims circle around PM Mitsotakis

(08.09.2022)

„It all goes back three years, when I started investigating a series of wrongdoings that involved Greek banks and the EU bailout money used to save them from bankruptcy at the peak of the financial crisis,“ Koukakis told the BBC.

After his initial reports, he began looking into a potential cover-up – a task that involved talking to members of the judiciary. He believes it was the Mitsotakis government that decided to place him under surveillance in order to eavesdrop on his exchanges with judges and their assistants.

13.09.2022 - 09:37 [ GreekReporter.com ]

European Parliament Probes Wiretapping Scandal in Greece

(09.09.2022)

Triantafillou reportedly observed that official investigations into privacy breaches seem to move slowly while investigations into media leaks move much faster.

MEPs agreed on the need to urgently investigate spyware companies, pointing to the risk of evidence destruction.

They highlighted the negative consequences for democracy, media freedom, and freedom of expression.

13.09.2022 - 09:28 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli-made Spyware Was Used to Hack Phone of Greek Ex-minister

(09.09.2022)

Intellexa is run by a former Israeli military intelligence official Tal Dilian. The company was based in Cyprus until a year and a half ago, when it moved to Greece.

Predator is very similar to the infamous Pegasus spyware made by the competing and more famous cyber firm NSO Group. Like Pegasus, it allows the operator to access the entire contents of the target’s phone, as well as secretly activating its camera and phone and recording.

13.09.2022 - 09:24 [ Euractiv.com ]

Another Greek opposition lawmaker victim of Predator

(09.09.2022)

A parliamentary inquiry committee set up to investigate the scandal has not brought any results considering that the former secret services chief and the prime minister’s secretary general, who both resigned after the scandal, refused to explain the reasons for spying on the Greek opposition leader.

Main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras warned on Thursday that those who invoke “confidentiality” to cover up crimes “face criminal charges”.

11.08.2022 - 07:05 [ Haaretz ]

Pegasus Spyware Maker NSO Has 22 Clients in the European Union. And It‘s Not Alone

European lawmaker Sophie in ‘t Veld, who is a member of the Pegasus inquiry committee, told Haaretz: “If just one company has 14 member states for customers, you can imagine how big the sector is overall. There seems to be a huge market for commercial spyware, and EU governments are very eager buyers. But they are very quiet about it, keeping it from the public eye.”

(…)

“We know spyware is being developed in several EU countries. Not least Italy, Germany and France,” in ‘t Veld said. “Even if they use it for legitimate purposes, they have no appetite for more transparency, oversight and safeguards. Secret services have got their own universe, where normal laws don’t apply. To an extent, that has always been the case, but in the digital era they have become all-powerful, and practically invisible and totally elusive.”

09.08.2022 - 20:00 [ europarl.europa.eu ]

Welcome to the website of the PEGA Committee of inquiry!

On 10 March 2022, the European Parliament decided to set up the PEGA Committee to investigate alleged infringement or maladministration in application of EU law in relation to the use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware surveillance software. In particular, the PEGA Committee is asked to gather information on the extent to which Member States or third countries are using intrusive surveillance to the extent that it violates the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.

During its twelve-month mandate our Committee, with its 38 Members and 38 substitute Members, will make use of various methods to investigate the alleged violations: it will hold hearings with experts, victims and other persons, request studies and briefings and undertake fact-finding missions when needed. The investigations shall be concluded with the submission of a final report.

09.08.2022 - 19:47 [ Kathimerini ]

EU Commission calls for investigation of phone tapping scandal

Hipper said it is the responsibility of each member state to investigate such matters, adding that “the Commission expects national authorities to thoroughly investigate any such allegation in order to restore public confidence.”

09.08.2022 - 19:43 [ Kathimerini ]

Greek president calls for investigation of phone tapping scandal

The government has said it will back a request by the opposition for a parliamentary investigating committee on the issue.

The European Commission is also monitoring the case. Cypriot MEP George Georgiou, vice-chair of the EU’s PEGA committee investigating malware surveillance software, has also sent a letter to the committee proposing a mission to Greece to investigate the allegations.

08.08.2022 - 19:06 [ ORF.at ]

Athener Abhörskandal: Premier weist Schuld von sich

„Das, was passiert ist, mag gesetzmäßig gewesen sein, aber es war falsch. Ich wusste davon nichts, und offensichtlich hätte ich so etwas auch nie genehmigt“, sagte der Regierungschef heute in einer Ansprache, die vom griechischen Rundfunk ERT übertragen wurde.

08.08.2022 - 18:36 [ Kathimerini ]

PM says espionage a mistake, pledges EYP overhaul

“Although everything was done lawfully, the National Intelligence Service (EYP) underestimated the political dimension of that particular action. It was formally legitimate, but politically unacceptable. It should not have happened [and it] undermined citizens’ confidence in national intelligence,” Mitsotakis said.

08.08.2022 - 13:33 [ Kathimerini ]

Greek PM apologizes to opposition party leader over surveillance, report says

The conservative premier is expected to make a public address over the case on Monday, the semi-state Athens News Agency reported on Saturday.

Androulakis, who was elected PASOK leader in December 2021, said on Friday evening that he had learned EYP listened to his conversations in late 2021. He did not disclose the source of the information.

07.08.2022 - 20:05 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Predator von Cytrox: Rücktritte nach Trojaner-Skandal in Griechenland

Der Netzwerk von Investigativjournalist:innen Reporters United hatte zuvor berichtet, wie ein Firmengeflecht unter Beteiligung von Dimitriadis an staatlichen Einsätzen des Trojaners mitverdient. Daran beteiligt ist die Firma Intellexa, die Predator in Griechenland vertreibt.

Weitere Brisanz erhält die Enthüllung auch dadurch, dass Dimitriadis und Mitsotakis verwandt sind: Der Generalsekretär ist der Neffe des Ministerpräsidenten, dem wiederum der Geheimdienst als Nutzer von Predator direkt untersteht.

Hersteller von Predator ist die von israelischen und ungarischen Staatsangehörigen als Aktiengesellschaft in Nordmazedonien gegründete Firma Cytrox. Sie soll in beiden Ländern Büros zur Herstellung der Cyberwaffen unterhalten. Cytrox gehört inzwischen zu einer Gesellschaft in Ungarn, als Eigentümer gilt der 70-jährige Luftwaffenveteran Meir Shamir aus Israel.

26.07.2022 - 14:05 [ Haaretz ]

European Lawmaker Targeted With Israeli-made Predator Spyware

In wake of the Project Pegasus investigation, the European Parliament began checking lawmakers devices – the head of the Greek socialist party’s phone had Predator, which is produced by a firm called Cytrox, is almost identical to the infamous Pegasus spyware made by the competing and more famous cyber firm NSO Group. Predator is similar to Pegasus in terms of its capabilities, but differs in the way it infects a device: It requires the victim to click on a link, while some versions of Pegasus do not.

Cytrox is owned by a firm called Intellexa which, though currently based in Greece, is run by a former Israeli military intelligence official Tal Dilian. Though the firm is registered abroad, sources say many of its workers are Israelis and the company may even have staff in Israel. Until recently, the Intellexa was based in Cyprus.signs of an attempted infection