With recent evidence of Russia’s role in influencing the outcome of the U.S Presidential election, now might not be the most opportune moment for Russian Spyware vendors to be hawking their wares at Intelligence Support Systems (ISS) conferences organized and hosted by an American enterprise. Yet such is the case with NORSI-TRANS, a featured exhibitor at the upcoming ISS World … [Read more...]
Beyond the Law? Extraordinary Cyber Power of the FBI
The following item is re-published from an earlier analysis where it was buried in review of a major U.S. cyber vendor. We are re-posting and updating that section of the analysis here as a standalone piece -- all about the extraordinary cyber power of the FBI -- to make it easier for I.S. members to find and reference. No, we are not referencing the old Steven Siegal … [Read more...]
How Munk Outed NSO Group Yet Boosted Israel’s Malware King
For obvious reasons, most companies that specialize in "ethical malware" like to fly below the radar. Yet invariably, providers of intrusive systems are"outed" to the public sooner or later. Sometimes such exposure comes about purely by accident. Other times it results from the work of equally talented spyware experts working for the other side. We have seen examples of both in … [Read more...]
Can Hacking Team and FinFisher Skirt Tougher Export Rules?
"Qualcuno qui parla italiano?" The clock is ticking on the European Commission's expected adoption of stricter export licensing requirements for malware and other surveillance technologies. The EC is expected to issue rules this month. Late July 2016 saw the leak of the draft EC proposal. It was none too favorable to the ISS community. Whether vendors such as The Hacking … [Read more...]
Is China’s Counter-Terrorism Law Really So Dreadful?
Six months have passed since implementation of China's Counter-Terrorism Act, a law that drew fierce criticism from privacy organizations, tech companies that do business in China, and U.S. President Obama. Heading the list of complaints were objections to Chinese authorities’ plans to require “back doors” into network equipment and end user devices, as well as access to all … [Read more...]