On Monday, the US State Department revealed that it is imposing visa restrictions on 13 people accused of involvement in the development and distribution of spyware.
These restrictions also extend to the immediate family members of such individuals who are involved in such activities.
"Certain individuals have benefited financially or facilitated the exploitation of this technology, which has targeted journalists, academics, human rights defenders, opposition figures, critics, and members of the U.S. government," the department said.
See also: LightSpy spyware targets iOS users
The identities of those subject to visa restrictions have not been released, but the action comes more than two months after the U.S. government announced a new policy that imposes visa restrictions on individuals who engage in practices that threaten privacy.
It also aims to address the abuse and spread of commercial spyware, which has been deployed by authoritarian regimes to spy on members of civil society, while promoting the principle of accountability.
Israeli media outlet Haaretz revealed that the company Intellexa presented an advanced system, called Aladdin, in 2022. This Proof of Concept (PoC) system allows the installation of spyware on phones through online advertisements.
Last month, the Intellexa Consortium was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for developing, operating, and distributing spyware. software is designed to identify and target government officials, journalists, and policy analysts, raising serious security and privacy concerns in the international environment.
Recently, Kaspersky revealed that stalkerware affected 31,031 unique users in 2023, up from 29,312 the previous year. The majority of incidents were recorded in Russia, Brazil, and India, confirming a controversial trend seen since 2019. This development highlights the growing concern about privacy violations beyond the world of spyware.
Read more: 'eXotic Visit' spyware targets Android users in India and Pakistan
Stalkerware products are often presented as legitimate anti-theft or parental control apps for smartphones, tablets and computers. However, the reality is completely different. These apps, installed without the knowledge or consent of the monitored user, operate in secret and give any hacker the means to control a victim's life, the company says.
Source: thehackernews
🔒 Protect your privacy with Proton VPN
Swiss VPN from the creators of Proton Mail — strict no-logs policy, strong encryption, and built-in NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, & malware.
- ✔ No-logs, based in Switzerland (except 14-Eyes)
- ✔ NetShield: blocks ads, trackers & malicious domains
- ✔ Covers all devices — free version available
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
