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

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

The UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Center plans to reveal its findings on Wednesday, according to the British Daily Mail. POLITICO. The report notes that the barrier to accessing this type of surveillance technology has lowered, which could make it easier for foreign governments and hackers to target UK citizens, businesses and critical infrastructure with spyware.

It’s also an increase in the number of countries with access to this type of hacking tool, to 100, compared to 80 British intelligence agencies. Estimated in 2023.

Commercial spywaredeveloped by private companies such as NSO Group’s Pegasus and Paragon’s Graphite, often rely on exploiting vulnerabilities in phone and computer software to break into devices and steal the data inside them. While governments have claimed to use spyware only against high-level criminals and terrorist suspects, security researchers and human rights advocates have He has long warned that governments are misusing spyware To target their critics and political opponents, including journalists.

British intelligence now says that the number of victims has “expanded” in recent years to include bankers and wealthy businessmen.

Richard Horne, who runs the UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Centre, said: In a letter At the CYBERUK conference in Glasgow, he said British companies “fail to understand the reality of today’s world,” according to an advance copy of his speech seen by TechCrunch.

Horne said the majority of cyberattacks of national significance targeting the UK had originated from hostile foreign governments, rather than from cybercrime gangs.

The UK, along with many other countries, is also continuing its experiment China-related interventions aim to Theft of sensitive dataspying on high-profile individuals, and laying the groundwork for potentially devastating hacks to obstruct a Western military response ahead of an expected Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The spyware threat the UK faces comes not only from governments, but also from cybercriminals who have access to these tools. Earlier this year, A The hacking toolkit is called DarkSwordIt contains several vulnerabilities capable of hacking into recent iPhones and iPads, which have been leaked online. These tools allowed anyone to create websites capable of hacking into Apple customers who had not yet updated to the latest version of its mobile software.

Show hacking tools leak – and Not the first time – Even tightly guarded hacking tools developed by and for governments can leak and spread out of control, putting millions of people at risk of malicious hacks.