NSO Group Impersonated Facebook To Help Clients Hack Targets

Infamous Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group created a web domain that looked as if it belonged to Facebook's security team to entice targets to click on links that would install the company's powerful cell phone hacking technology, according to data analyzed by Motherboard. From the report: It is not uncommon for hackers working for governments to impersonate Facebook, perhaps with a phishing page that displays a Facebook login screen but which secretly steals a target's password. But NSO's approach complicates its ongoing conflict with the tech giant. NSO is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Facebook, which is suing the surveillance firm for leveraging a vulnerability in WhatsApp to let NSO clients remotely hack phones. Motherboard has also found more evidence that NSO used infrastructure based in the United States; a server used by NSO's system to deliver malware was owned by Amazon. A former NSO employee provided Motherboard with the IP address of a server setup to infect phones with NSO's Pegasus hacking tool.

Unauthorised Access to a Network

[lessSockMorePuppet]

Throw them in the Federal slammer for the mandatory minimum 20.

FYI the phrase is "protected computer"

[raymorris]

I think the phrase you're looking for is "protected computer". Under CFAA (18 U.S.C. Â 1030), unauthorized access to a protected computer for the purpose of committing fraud is a crime.

Over time, the interpretation of "protected computer" has been stretched from its original intended meaning because the text of the statute has rhe "interstate commerce" phrase:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/de... [cornell.edu]

I'm not sure that it covers the bad guy's phone, though.

Anyway, for more information here is the CFAA
https://ww [cornell.edu]

Facebook should improve their security

[Way Smarter Than You]

There will always be hackers. You can't sue them all. Sure, maybe they can put these guys out of business but what about all the true black hats who don't run under a corporate name?

Fix your security and these guys shut down instantly without making lawyers rich and clogging courts.

Legal battle

[TomClancy_Jack]

It will be interesting to me to see how a company that has many billions in cash and buildings full of lawyers will do vs. a reasonably well-off hacking group with government support will shake out. I feel like FB would have the power to just drain any smaller company - and I would think that posing as FB would provide some juicy damage to go after. But then again it's an international suite and probably trickier. I'm no fan of FB, but screw NSO Group.

Re:

[cusco]

They're an Israeli company. Likely some executives with dual citizenship will pay a bribe, er, make some substantial campaign donations to come US congresscritters and it will all go away.

Re:

[AutodidactLabrat]

That is, when they aren't Lawrence Franklin, spy handled by AIPAC senior directors...hmmmm, no bribes, just treason.