Meta Security Warns Windows, Android, And iOS Spyware Firms

(CTN News) – Meta has sent out alerts regarding eight spyware companies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy, and Spain operating surveillance-for-hire operations against iOS, Android, and Windows systems.

As part of Meta’s Adversarial Threat Report for the last quarter of 2023, the company issued the warnings.

Based on Meta’s report, the companies RCS Labs, Cy4Gate/ELT Group, Variston IT, IPS Intelligence, Protect Electronic Systems, TrueL IT, Mollitiam Industries, and Negg Group are accessing and collecting device data and information, including screenshots, cameras, microphones, contacts, apps, and SMS messages.

It was also reported that several social media platforms have been involved in data scraping, phishing, and social engineering activities as well, according to Meta.

Furthermore, Meta has deleted over 2,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts from Ukrainian, Chinese, and Myanmar networks that were found to display this type of suspicious activity as well.

In addition to spreading disinformation, these pages also served as a platform for disseminating propaganda which had geopolitical implications in addition to spreading disinformation.

We at Meta have taken steps in order to protect our users against this threat by implementing VoIP memory isolation on WhatsApp and Control Flow Integrity (CFI) on Messenger for Android in order to combat this threat.

It is the result of an agreement between the U.S. government and technology companies to establish controls over commercial spyware and its potential for abuse.

As a result, appropriate measures must be taken to counter spyware that exploits vulnerabilities in order to facilitate phishing campaigns and to deliver malicious payloads against sensitive targets.

In order to protect against spyware, what best practices does your organization follow? Feel free to share your thoughts on LinkedIn, X, or FacebookOpens a new window. We would be delighted to hear from you.

SEE ALSO:

The 5 Best Uses Of Telegram Channels For Crypto Projects