What is commercial spyware?
Summary: Commercial spyware is software sold by legitimate companies that is installed on devices to monitor activity and capture sensitive data, and its operations mainly target mobile platforms using zero- or one-click zero-day exploits. Cisco Talos notes that reports describe journalists covering human rights abuses and activists exposing oppressive regimes being targeted and compromised, and that a UK NCSC report says the tools' accessibility lowers the barrier to entry for state and non-state actors.
Bottom line: Some attackers can spend six figures to compromise a single target, so a highly targeted individual's phone may be attacked through zero-day vulnerabilities; Talos also notes that commercial spyware vendors typically do not build persistence into their spyware, which is why rebooting a phone can help clear it.
Read the original at Cisco Talos ↗
- Topics
- Cybercrime & Law Enforcement
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