Kaspersky have detailed a new piece of Malware they have dubbed “Skygofree”, it appears to be targeting Italy at the moment but as it is in the wild it needs to be looked out for. See these links for further reading on the potential this malware could have for your security of your phone:
(also note the Windows references in this article)
The report states “Skygofree” is most likely an offensive security product sold by an Italy-based IT company that markets various surveillance wares.
Thus it seems to be commercially available if you know the vendor, and targeting wherever/whoever the customers desire. Nothing of interest to the CIA, KGB, MI5/6, and the many equivalents in Israel, China, NK, blah, blah, blah. Not counting potential drug gangs and others such as people tracking their potentially unfaithful partners. Why develop your own when you can get something this good off the shelf? Reality suggests those alphabet players have already deployed similar but harder to detect.
Perhaps the US assault on Kaspersky Labs is not the Russian connection (although that is a convenient diversion) but that they find and reveal deep stealth surveillance that is too close to home?
and another report…
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/38649226/booby-trapped-messaging-apps-used-for-spying-researchers/
This is not an issue unless one decides to install apps from a 3rd party website/source and not through official app stores.
Anyone who decides to install apps which aren’t in the official app stores such as those run by google, apple or windows, exposes themselves to unvetted apps and high risk of installing malware.
Yes it appears it is made in Italy but the 2nd article also had the following paragraph:
“Kaspersky Labs researchers said the malware is spread through Web landing pages that mimic the sites of Vodafone and other mobile operators. The domains used have been registered since 2015, and the campaign remains ongoing. Kaspersky Labs said that data it found indicated several people in Italy have been infected.”
I also agree that many operators of all letters of the alphabet are probably using it or similar tools to garner as much data as they can about everyone they can. They wouldn’t exist if they had no conspiracy to unravel (even if it isn’t one), a spy needs a secret to find to remain employed and if they can’t find one they create one.
