Zero-days

U.S. government accuses former L3Harris cyber boss of stealing trade secrets

Security /

The U.S. government has accused a former executive at defense contractor L3Harris of stealing trade secrets and selling them to a buyer in Russia, according to court documents seen by TechCrunch.  On October 14, the Department of Justice accused Peter Williams of stealing eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies. The DOJ made the allegation […]

U.S. government accuses former L3Harris cyber boss of stealing trade secrets Read More »

Apple alerts exploit developer that his iPhone was targeted with government spyware 

Security /

Earlier this year, a developer was shocked by a message that appeared on his personal phone: “Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone.”   “I was panicking,” Jay Gibson, who asked that we don’t use his real name over fears of retaliation, told TechCrunch.   Gibson, who until recently built surveillance technologies for Western

Apple alerts exploit developer that his iPhone was targeted with government spyware  Read More »

Apple’s latest iPhone security feature just made life more difficult for spyware makers

Security /

Buried in an ocean of flashy novelties announced by Apple this week, the tech giant also revealed new security technology for its latest iPhone 17 and iPhone Air devices. This new security technology was made specifically to fight against surveillance vendors and the types of vulnerabilities they rely on the most, according to Apple. The

Apple’s latest iPhone security feature just made life more difficult for spyware makers Read More »

New zero-day startup offers $20 million for tools that can hack any smartphone

Security /

A new United Arab Emirates-based startup is offering up to $20 million for hacking tools that could help governments break into any smartphone with a text message. Advanced Security Solutions launched this month and is now offering some of the highest prices, at least public ones, in the whole zero-day market. Zero-days are flaws in

New zero-day startup offers $20 million for tools that can hack any smartphone Read More »

Trump administration to spend $1 billion on ‘offensive’ hacking operations

Security /

The Trump administration, through the Department of Defense, plans to spend $1 billion over the next four years on what it calls “offensive cyber operations.”  The provision in Trump’s landmark One Big Beautiful Bill does not say what those “offensive cyber operations” are, nor what specific tools or software would qualify. The budget does note

Trump administration to spend $1 billion on ‘offensive’ hacking operations Read More »

Phone chipmaker Qualcomm fixes three zero-days exploited by hackers

Security /

Chipmaker giant Qualcomm released patches on Monday fixing a series of vulnerabilities in dozens of chips, including three zero-days that the company said may be in use as part of hacking campaigns.  Qualcomm cited Google’s Threat Analysis Group, or TAG, which investigates government-backed cyberattacks, saying the three flaws “may be under limited, targeted exploitation.”  According

Phone chipmaker Qualcomm fixes three zero-days exploited by hackers Read More »

Seven things we learned from WhatsApp vs. NSO Group spyware lawsuit

Security /

On Tuesday, WhatsApp scored a major victory against NSO Group when a jury ordered the infamous spyware maker to pay more than $167 million in damages to the Meta-owned company. The ruling concluded a legal battle spanning more than five years, which started in October 2019 when WhatsApp accused NSO Group of hacking more than

Seven things we learned from WhatsApp vs. NSO Group spyware lawsuit Read More »

Five things we learned from WhatsApp vs. NSO Group spyware lawsuit

Security /

On Tuesday, WhatsApp scored a major victory against NSO Group when a jury ordered the infamous spyware maker to pay more than $167 million in damages to the Meta-owned company. The ruling concluded a legal battle spanning more than five years, which started in October 2019 when WhatsApp accused NSO Group of hacking more than

Five things we learned from WhatsApp vs. NSO Group spyware lawsuit Read More »

Government hackers are leading the use of attributed zero-days, Google says

Security /

Hackers working for governments were responsible for the majority of attributed zero-day exploits used in real-world cyberattacks last year, per new research from Google. Google’s report said that the number of zero-day exploits — referring to security flaws that were unknown to the software makers at the time hackers abused them — had dropped from

Government hackers are leading the use of attributed zero-days, Google says Read More »