UK government says 100 countries have spyware that can hack people’s phones

More than half the world’s governments have access to commercial spyware that can break into computers and phones to steal sensitive information, according to British intelligence agencies.

The UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Center plans to reveal its findings on Wednesday, according to Politico. The report suggests that the barrier to access to this type of surveillance technology has fallen, potentially making it easier for foreign governments and hackers to target UK citizens, companies and critical infrastructure with spyware.

It’s also an increase in the number of countries with access to these types of hacking tools, to 100, out of the UK’s 80 countries. estimated in 2023.

Commercial spyware, developed by private companies such as NSO Group’s Pegasus and Paragon’s Graphite, often relies on exploiting security flaws in phone and computer software to break into the devices and steal the data inside. While governments claim to use spyware only against top criminal and terrorist suspects, security researchers and human rights advocates have long warned that governments have misused spyware to target their critics and political opponents, including journalists.

British intelligence now says the victimization has “widened” in recent years to include bankers and wealthy businessmen.

Richard Horne, who runs the UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Centre, said in a speech at the CYBERUK conference in Glasgow that British companies are “failing to understand the reality of today’s world,” according to a pre-released transcript of his speech seen by TechCrunch.

Horne said the majority of significant national cyberattacks targeting the UK come from foreign adversarial governments rather than cybercriminal gangs.

The UK, along with many other countries, also continues to experience China-linked intrusions aimed at stealing sensitive data, spying on high-profile individuals and setting the stage for potentially disruptive intrusions to stop a Western military response ahead of an expected Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The spyware threat facing the UK comes not only from governments, but also from cybercriminals with access to these tools. Earlier this year, a hacking toolkit called DarkSword was leaked online, containing several exploits capable of breaking into modern iPhones and iPads. The tools allowed anyone to create websites capable of hacking Apple customers who had not yet updated to the latest version of its mobile software.

The leak of hacking tools has shown—and not for the first time—that even heavily protected hacking tools developed by and for governments can leak and proliferate out of control, potentially putting millions of people at risk from malicious intrusions.