Meta’s spyware crackdown detailed

Eight spyware firms in Spain, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates including Variston IT, Mollitiam Industries, TrueL IT, Cy4Gate, RCS Labs, Negg Group, IPS Intelligence, and Protect Electronic Systems had their networks of fraudulent accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp dismantled by Meta during the last three months of 2023 as part of its efforts to crack down on spyware, reports CyberScoop. Such accounts have been leveraged to facilitate data exfiltration, social engineering, and phishing attack creation, with some of the accounts also used for the delivery of exploits and capabilities that would be subjected to testing by their respective firms, according to a report from Meta. In addition to detailing the disruption of spyware firms' fake accounts on various Meta platforms, the report also noted the increasing sophistication of spyware operations through the mounting usage of artificial intelligence platforms. Government regulators and spyware firm investors have also been urged to increase action against spyware misuse.