The world of cyber espionage has experienced an increase in the sophistication and complexity of its tools. A clear example of this is the recent discovery of a group of Israeli mercenary spies that have attacked iPhones through malicious invitations to calendar events. The QuaDream company, responsible for creating these tools, has been identified as responsible for these attacks, according to reports from Microsoft and Citizen Lab.
QuaDream, a shadow company
QuaDream is an Israeli company specializing in the creation of cyber-espionage tools, in particular in the development of “zero-click” exploits for iPhones, which do not require the user to click on malicious links. Despite its low visibility, the company has sold its products to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Singapore.
Attack Tactics: Malicious Calendar Invites
Government hackers equipped with QuaDream exploits used malicious invitations to calendar events to distribute the malware on iPhones, TC reports. These invitations, dated in the past, did not generate notifications on the phone, making them virtually invisible to the target.
Citizen Lab has identified more than five victims whose iPhones were hacked, though their names have not been released. Among them are NGO workers, journalists and opposition political figures.
Malware functionalities
The malware developed by QuaDream has the ability to record phone calls, record audio through the device’s microphone, take photos, steal files, track a person’s location, and remove forensic traces of its own existence.
The impact of cyber espionage in the world
The discovery of the QuaDream malware proves once again that the cyber-espionage industry is not limited to a small group of well-known companies, such as Hacking Team and FinFisher, but that there are many other companies operating in the shadows. These mercenary cyberspy groups represent a growing threat to democracy and human rights around the world.
The role of the technology industry in the construction and maintenance of cyberspace carries great responsibility. Strong action is needed against these threats before the situation escalates beyond the control of the industry itself. The fight against cyber espionage should not only focus on attacking individual companies, but also on creating strategies to control and limit the reach of the industry as a whole.
The QuaDream case is a reminder that in an increasingly connected world, threats to our privacy and security are constantly evolving.
