A coalition of dozens of countries including France, the UK, and the US, along with tech giants such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, have signed a joint agreement to combat the use of commercial spyware in ways that violate human rights.
The news comes a day after the United States announced a visa restriction policy for those it deems to be abusing such tools.
Such as NSO Group's Pegasus, is usually installed on iPhones or Android devices and can eavesdrop on phone calls; intercept messaging; take pictures with the cameras; exfiltrate app data, photos, and files; and take voice and video recordings.
The tools usually make use of zero-day exploits for initial access and sell for millions of dollars, meaning that their target market tends to consist of global government clients and large commercial interests.
For their part, commercial spyware vendors usually position themselves as legitimate companies that aid law enforcement and other public-sector entities in apprehending criminals.
Critics, on the other hand, argue that they simply sell cyber weapons to the highest bidders, including repressive regimes looking to surveil members of civil society - political opponents, dissidents, journalists, activists, and others.
The victims are then targeted for further human-rights abuses, many have alleged, including Google, which today issued a detailed report on the rapidly proliferating CSV market.
More specifically, the coalition will establish guidelines for developing, selling, facilitating, purchasing, and using these types of tools and services, including defining irresponsible behavior and creating a framework for their transparent and accountable use.
While the full accounting of attendees to the event has not been made public, Recorded Future reported that a range of countries - including Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Singapore - all signed the pledge, while Hungary, Mexico, Spain, and Thailand, among others, did not.
Israel, which is home to many CSVs, including NSO Group, did not attend the event.
This is not the first effort to combat malicious governmental use of commercial spyware; last March, the Biden administration issued an executive order imposing restrictions on its use by federal agencies.
This Cyber News was published on www.darkreading.com. Publication date: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 20:15:16 +0000