Just when we thought that the woes of The Hacking Team might be letting up, word comes that an older version of the Italian company’s malware has been used in attacks against Western targets including the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The news surfaced in a new white paper issued by F-Secure, an IT security vendor based in Finland. A group dubbed “Callisto” has been … [Read more...]
Lawful Malware: Wolf Intelligence at the Door
When black hatter Phineas Fisher hacked The Hacking Team one year ago today it signalled a dark day for the renowned Italian Lawful Malware provider, revealing numerous company-confidential communications. The Hacking Team gradually recovered from the embarrassing incident and moved on. Then in April 2016 came word that Italian authorities had revoked The Hacking Team’s … [Read more...]
Did Vupen Really Go Away?
Nearing the one year anniversary of founder Chaouki Bekrar's decision to shut down Vupen and launch a new company, Zerodium, which allegedly buys but does not create its own Zero Days, we come across a curious leak: Vupen is in the process of developing -- and may have already completed -- an iOS Zero Day for its long time favorite client, the NSA. That was it: one line … [Read more...]
Is Apple iPhone’s Non-Volatile Memory the Hero of the FBI Hack?
Late Friday, word came that the FBI hacked another iPhone, adding to the roster of Apple devices it has successfully penetrated, and making mincemeat of the company’s legendary “strong encryption” at least a second time. Once again, as was the case with the famous San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone, the U.S.’s leading federal law enforcement agency dropped its legal case … [Read more...]
FBI/Apple Back Door Fracas — Much Ado About Nothing, or Zerodium?
C5IS weighs the odds that Zerodium deserves credit for hacking the San Bernardino terrorists’ iPhone. For months, liberal media have been aflame over the Apple/FBI battle over “back door” access to an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino terrorists responsible for murdering 14 individuals in a shooting spree. Apple CEO Tim Cook won the cover of TIME one week, … [Read more...]