The security experts of the Redmond-based software group have a corresponding malware together with the Canadian Citizen Lab evaluated. Their manufacturer QuaDream has so far hardly appeared and is accordingly unknown. However, this appears to be changing now that the larger producers of state trojans – such as Israel’s NSO Group and Germany’s Gamma/FinFisher – are effectively out of the running.
Zero-click exploits, where the malware is installed and activated without the user having to click a malicious link or share rights, for example, are relatively rare, especially on the iPhone, and correspondingly expensive in the vulnerability market. Amounts must be put on the table for corresponding information, which are often in the millions.
Patches are here
Of course, this is only worthwhile if you have enough customers. And that is now the case with QuaDream. Scans showed that there are control infrastructures for the malware in question in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Ghana, Israel, Mexico, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uzbekistan. This suggests that the governments and authorities there have bought the state Trojan and are actively using it to spy on users.
Microsoft claimed to have found the original malware samples. It was then shared with Citizen Lab researchers, who were able to identify more than five victims – an NGO worker, politician and journalist – whose iPhones had been hacked. The exploit used was developed for iOS 14 and was unpatched and unknown to Apple at the time.
For various reasons, the information has only now been made public, but some of the malware found dates back to 2021. In the meantime, Apple has long since closed the vulnerabilities used by the state Trojan. As far as possible, the affected targets were also informed about the infections.
See also:
- QuaDream develops zero-click exploits that plant spyware on iPhone users.
- Microsoft and Citizen Lab evaluated QuaDream malware.
- QuaDream’s customers are governments that use the state trojan.
- Microsoft found malware samples and shared them with Citizen Lab.
- Citizen Lab identified 5 victims whose iPhones were hacked.
- Apple has closed vulnerabilities used by the state trojan.
- Affected targets were informed of the infections.
Vulnerability, hacker, security, malware, attack, hack, crime, virus, malware, exploit, cybercrime, cybersecurity, hacker attack, hacking, internet crime, security gaps, Darknet, hacker attacks, hacker attack, hacking, security update, attack, course, hacks, Crime, anti-malware, Russian Hacker, Cyberwar, China Hacker, Risk, Malware Warning, Cyber Attack, Security Risk, Security Problem, Cyber Attack, Skull, Dead, Malware Found, Hazard, Skull
