John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Mar 30, 2023 โ€ข 9 tweets โ€ข 8 min read โ€ข Read on X
NEW: 11 countries ink joint statement on countering commercial #spyware proliferation & abuse.

Cite "fundamental" national security & foreign policy interest 1/

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ#Australia ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ#Canada ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ท#CostaRica ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ#Denmark ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท#France ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ#NewZealand ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด#Norway ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช#Sweden ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ#Switzerland ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง#UK ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ#US We, the governments of Aust...The misuse of these tools p...To advance these interests,...engaging additional partner...
2/ I'd say the joint statement on commercial #spyware is unprecedented.

A few years ago spyware like #Pegasus was was treated as a human rights issue.

But the dizzying speed of proliferation made big problems for governments, forcing them to prepare positions & action.
3/ The statement's commitment guardrails for accountable domestic #spyware use is important.

But devil will be in the implementations. Civil society will be watching.

(Note: issue wasn't covered in White House Spyware Executive Order on Monday, so nice to see USA commit here) Image
4/ Export control commitments on #Spyware. Again, important.

Worth noting, several signatories have a complex history on surveillance tech export...

So transparency about license granting & denials will be essential for accountability & to ensure commitment has teeth. Image
5/ Tracking & information sharing. Maybe public shaming? Norms? Again, important.

The mercenary #spyware industry has hidden from researchers & victims.

Let's hope it's harder for them to hide from governments. Image
6/ Commercial #spyware proliferation is now a global problem. Whether it's sold to autocrats, or to more 'democratic' governments in the EU... that wind up abusing it

But a key driver? Investment firms in the US & elsewhere. Good to see the joint statement speak to this. Image
7/ Lots of movement on #spyware this week

- The Executive Order
- Statements by @POTUS & Deputy AG Lisa Monaco
- this Joint Statement
- & more, just look at this fact sheet

Positive developments that would have been unthinkable a few years ago, but...
whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/โ€ฆ
8/ Spyware proliferation went too far & did too much harm.

Result? Governments are waking up & have started taking action.

But this is also a reminder of all the progress still needed on many fronts, like domestic accountability, oversight & transparency from every signatory.
9/ It remains puzzling to me as I read the joint statement on #Spyware that some EU countries are notably missing (where is #Germany?).

It also puts into stark relief that the EU Parliament's efforts on Spyware have a long way to go.

I hope there is some pressure to catch up!

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More from @jsrailton

Jun 18
๐ŸšจNEW REPORT: exposing a new hacking tactic.

๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บRussian state-backed hackers used an App-Specific Password attack against prominent Russia expert @KeirGiles & others.

It's like they know what we all expect from them...and then did the opposite 1/

By us @citizenlab & @google's GTIGImage
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2/ Let's begin: @KeirGiles gets a message purporting to be from @StateDept asking for a consultation.

The attackers send the message from a @gmail, but CC'd a bunch of email addresses @ state.gov.

Strong credibility signal to have a bunch of gov ppl on the CC line right?

Well, what the attackers were counting on is that the State Dept mailserver just accepts all email addresses without emitting a bounce.

So they seem to have just created some fake State Dept staff names and addresses.Image
3/ The attackers wait for the 2nd interaction to introduce the pivotal deception: getting @KeirGiles to 'connect to a secure platform.'

In the next days they patiently walk him through what they want him to do, even sending a very official looking (but fake) State Dept. documentImage
Image
Read 10 tweets
Jun 12
๐ŸšจNEW INVESTIGATION: We just forensically unmasked #Paragon's Apple spyware.

Zero-click targets: Journalists. In ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บEurope.

Like ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItalian reporter @ciropellegrino.

Reopen's #Italy's spyware scandal.

Follows our @citizenlab investigation of their Android spyware. 1/ Image
2/ Back in April, @Apple sent out a threat notification to a select group of users. Some got in touch with us @citizenlab to get analyzed.

They'd been targeted with a sophisticated zero-click attack (think: no click, no attachment to open, no mistake needed...).Image
3/ While my brilliant colleague @billmarczak was working on the phone of a prominent European journalist, he made a smoking gun discovery:

Requests to server matching our P1 fingerprint for #Paragon's graphite.

Paragon's 'undetectable' Apple spyware had just been found...Image
Image
Image
Read 13 tweets
Jun 9
NEW: #Italy's spyware scandal just deepened.

Just days ago, #Italy claimed to not know who targeted Journalist @fcancellato with #Paragon spyware.

But now the spyware company is dropping heavy hints that this wasn't the full story๐Ÿ‘‡
2/ Last week the #Italian government published a report acknowledging that they were responsible for certain #paragon spyware cases.

But left the politically trickiest case unanswered...
3/ Paragon frames itself as the anti-NSO... a "clean" spyware company.

But it didn't take long for them to get mired in an mess scandal in #Italy.

Now it looks like they are trying to find a way to fully wash their hands of the affair...

Read 7 tweets
Jun 6
NEW: Italy admits hacking activists with #Paragon spyware.

Blow to the reputation of a mercenary spyware company that marketed itself as an ethically clean anti-NSO.

But the official investigation doesn't answer a big mystery that's bad for #Italy & Paragon 1/..

By @omerbenjImage
2/ While Italy confirms the activist cases, they deny doing the politically explosive one:

Journalist & @fanpage editor Francesco Cancellato, whose reporting has tangled with the Prime Minister.

So who pointed Paragon against @fcancellato?

None of the answers are good... Image
3/ If we take the Italian government's claims to not know who targeted Italian journalist @fcancellato at face value...

Then it is a very bad look for #Paragon to have this case unexplained.

Who pointed their Graphite spyware at this European journalist?Image
Read 6 tweets
May 20
NEW: Pegasus spyware maker NSO Group just got publicly rebuffed by the US.

They came to DC to get off the US blacklist.

It did not work out. Thanks to their own actions.

You know about the human rights issues, but let me tell you why NSO is no friend to the United States. 1/ Image
2/ First, it's important to know that NSO was shady in how they set up the meeting.

For close observers, this is no surprise.

NSO constantly thinks that they can play the United States.

Part of what got them in trouble in the first place, but let's go deeper.Image
3/ First, NSO has consistently helped foreign governments target the US government.

And hack regular US citizens.

The first cases date back a decade to when the president of Panama used it to monitor the US embassy (and his mistress).

A decade later it was still happening...Image
Read 15 tweets
May 6
BREAKING: jury awards massive $167 million in punitive damages against spyware company NSO Group.

Precedent-setting win against the notorious #Pegasus spyware maker.

Congratulations to @WhatsApp on sticking this case through since 2019. Some thoughts 1/
2/ After years of every trick & delay tactic it only took a California jury one days deliberation to the heart of the matter:

NSO makes millions hacking mostly-๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธAmerican tech companies... so that dictators can hack dissidents.

Their conduct deserved to be punished.
3/ NSO Group emerges from the trial severely damaged.

The verdict ($167,256,000 punitive, $440K+ compensatory) is big enough to make your eyes water.

The case is ALSO a huge blow to NSO's secrecy, with their business splashed all over a courtroom.

This will scare customers...
Read 14 tweets

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