Spyware’s Growing Reach: New Tool Unveils Surprising Targets
The era of assuming your smartphone is safe straight out of the box is over.
That, according to Rocky Cole, chief operating officer of recently-launched mobile device security firm iVerify, whose groundbreaking new software for detecting spyware has turned up a troubling truth: the illicit use of spyware is far more widespread than previously understood.
Until now, the prevailing narrative held that spyware, particularly the notorious NSO Group’s Pegasus tool, was aimed at a select few: journalists, political activists, and high-profile human rights defenders. While those individuals still remain primary targets, iVerify’s findings paint a chillingly broader picture.
iVerify’s Mobile Threat Hunting tool, launched in May, analyzes mobile device data for escape hatches left by embedded spyware. This includes combinations of malware signature detection, ongoing analysis of device behavior, and machine learning adaptations to spot abnormal activity.
While the tool is still in its early stages, early findings are already shaking things up. In just a limited sample of 2,500 user-submitted scans – a combination of paid subscribers and free users – iVerify detected seven instances of infection, all but shattering the myth that only specific high-profile targets are at risk.
Among the recent victims:
-
Business Leaders: High-ranking executives and entrepreneurs, key players in the business world.
- Government Officials: Individuals holding leading positions within governmental departments and various political宣布agenda.
- Commercial Enterprises: Individuals at the helm of private businesses and companies, indicating a concerning trend in espionage
This breadth of target selection suggests a shift in spyware usage.
"It looks a lot more like the targeting profile of your average piece of malware or your average APT group asinuation
than it an’t been out there that mercenary spyware is being abused to target activist," Says Cole. "It is doing that, absolutely, but this cross-section of society was surprising to find.”
The ease at which iVerify’s tool uncovered such a diverse range of targets, suggests a far wider problem than previously thought.
The emergence of easy-to-use spyware detection tools could dramatically reshape our security landscape.
"The hardest part of developing the detection tool was that mobile operating systems are more locked down than desktops. They don’t allow monitoring software to have kernel access at its heart, so we had to be clever,"
Cole explains. "This involved strategically leveraging telemetry close to the kernel to fine-tune our machine learning models. It’s no small feat, and some spyware, like Pegasus, exhibits specific traits that make it easier to flag.”
The impact has been immediate. iVerify’s Mobile Threat Hunting feature has helped identify signs of compromise on devices, including the smartphone of
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer and Sikh political activist who was the target of an alleged foiled assassination attempt by an Indian government
employee in New York City. The feature also flagged suspected nation-state activity on the mobile devices of two Harris-Walz campaign officials: a
senior member of the campaign and someone in their IT department, both spanning the presidential race.
"It used to be a niche issue," Cole says. "Only certain fringes were making detection tools. Now, having an easy-to-use tool for diagnosing spyware compromises may well expand the picture of just how often such malware is being used."
This change in accessibility marks a turning point in the fight against spyware. For too long, only a select few have been able to detect the
What are the potential motives behind the expanding use of spyware beyond high-profile targets?
## Spyware’s Growing Reach: An Interview with iVerify’s COO
**Interviewer:** Welcome to the show, Rocky. Your company, iVerify, has just released some alarming findings about the use of spyware. Can you tell us more about what you’ve discovered?
**Rocky Cole:** Absolutely. For years, the narrative around spyware, especially tools like Pegasus, focused on high-profile targets: journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. While those individuals are still at risk, our findings paint a much broader and more disturbing picture.
**Interviewer:** What exactly did you find?
**Rocky Cole:** Our new Mobile Threat Hunting tool analyzes mobile device data for signs of spyware. In a small sample of 2,500 scans, we found seven cases of infection. This shows that spyware is no longer confined to those in the public eye. We’re seeing infections in business leaders, government officials, and even individuals running private businesses.
**Interviewer:** That’s a shockingly wide range of targets. What do you think is behind this shift?
**Rocky Cole:** It feels like the targeting profile is becoming more akin to traditional malware or advanced persistent threat groups. It suggests that spyware, once considered a highly specialized tool, is becoming more accessible and being used for a wider range of motives, potentially including corporate espionage and political maneuvering.
**Interviewer:** So, what does this mean for the average person? Are we all potential targets now?
**Rocky Cole:** I wouldn’t say everyone is a target, but the idea that your smartphone is a safe haven is definitely outdated. We need increased awareness about the dangers of spyware and the importance of protecting our devices.
**Interviewer:** What can people do to protect themselves?
**Rocky Cole:** There are steps you can take. Be cautious about the apps you download, keep your operating system and apps updated, and consider using security software specifically designed to detect spyware.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Rocky, for shedding light on this concerning issue.
**Rocky Cole:** My pleasure. It’s crucial that we understand the evolving threat landscape and take steps to protect ourselves.
