Sat 05 February 2022:
Another Israeli-based spyware firm used vulnerability in Apple’s security to hack into iPhones, Reuters reports.
QuaDream, according to five people familiar with the issue, is a smaller and lower profile Israeli firm that develops Smartphone hacking tools intended for government clients.
Citing sources and documents, Haaretz said that the company uses a front in Cyprus to sell its Reign spyware, which allows the extraction of all data from iPhones, enables the activation of the device’s camera and microphone and tracks the user’s location without their knowledge.
The spyware can be deposited on the user’s phone without their knowledge and they do not need to click on any link.
Experts analysing intrusions engineered by NSO Group and QuaDream since last year believe the two companies used very similar software exploits, known as ForcedEntry, to hijack iPhones.
Citizen Lab researcher, Bill Marczak, who has been studying both companies’ hacking tools, told Reuters that QuaDream’s zero-click capability seemed “on par” with NSO’s.
NSO has been involved in numerous scandals in recent years and has faced a deluge of international criticism over reports that its software has been used to target political dissidents, activists and journalists around the world.
QuaDream was founded in 2016 by three Israelis – two cyber security experts and a former senior official in Israel’s military intelligence.
Last year, it was reported that QuaDream has been selling iPhone spyware to Saudi Arabia since 2019, following the murder of US-based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
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