Amnesty International said it is considering legal action against an Israeli cyber firm for allegedly spying on its staff, after Israeli media reported the same company had offered Saudi Arabia surveillance software for hacking mobile phones belonging to activists connected to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The rights group said it lodged a request two weeks ago with the Israeli defence ministry to revoke the export licence of Israel-based NSO Group, in light of an attempted cyber-attack on an Amnesty staff member in June. When the request was rejected, the group said it decided to seek legal advice to challenge the ministry’s decision. Amnesty’s statement came just days after an investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported NSO had peddled its powerful “Pegasus 3” software to the Saudis, to offer them the capability of hacking the phones of dissidents. In a statement to Amnesty, NSO Group said its product “is intended to … [Read more...] about Amnesty wants Israeli cyber firm’s licence revoked for allegedly spying on its staff and Saudi dissidents
Saudi arabia cyber attack
Russian hackers linked to attempted sabotage of Saudi energy plant
A state-owned Russian research group has been linked to a devastating cyber-attack that caused an explosion at a Saudi petrochemical plant last year. The attack in August 2017 hit an oil and gas facility in Saudi Arabia that was supplied with technology from French firm Schneider Electric. At the time, the attack was described as a "watershed" moment in cyber security because it was the first known attempt to take control of an emergency-shutdown system designed to save human lives. Cybersecurity group FireEye discovered that the Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, based in Moscow, was responsible for at least part of malware that infected the system. The hackers, dubbed TEMP.Veles, used Triton to reprogram controllers used to monitor the plant for safety issues. FireEye's director of intelligence John Hultquist said the attack "inadvertently shut down a plant when the actors were trying to … [Read more...] about Russian hackers linked to attempted sabotage of Saudi energy plant
Khashoggi suspect had ‘cyber spy’ training
Middle East 19 October 2018 Share this with Facebook Share this with Messenger Share this with Twitter Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with WhatsApp Share this with Messenger Share this with Twitter Share Share this with These are external links and will open in a new window Email Share this with Email Facebook Share this with Facebook Messenger Share this with Messenger Messenger Share this with Messenger Twitter Share this with Twitter Pinterest Share this with Pinterest WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp LinkedIn Share this with LinkedIn Copy this link https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45918610 Read more about sharing. These are external links and will open in a new window Close share panel Related TopicsJamal Khashoggi disappearance The BBC has uncovered new details about one of the men accused of murdering … [Read more...] about Khashoggi suspect had ‘cyber spy’ training
Trump says Saudi king ‘would not last two weeks’ without US support
Donald Trump has warned Saudi Arabia's King Salman he would not last “two weeks" without the backing of the US military. The president, in an effort to pile pressure on one of America’s closest allies over the rising cost of oil, called on the kingdom to increase its defence budget or face an uncertain future. Speaking at a campaign rally in Mississippi, he said: "I love the king, King Salman, but I said: 'King, we're protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay."' Crude oil prices are at a four-year high with the November mid-term elections looming, and Mr Trump claimed just last week that oil producers were “ripping off the rest of the world”. The president did not on elaborate when he spoke to the Saudi monarch, but reports suggested the two leaders last shared a telephone call over the weekend. State-run Saudi Press Agency said the pair discussed "efforts to … [Read more...] about Trump says Saudi king ‘would not last two weeks’ without US support
‘Chilling attack’: Amnesty says employee targeted by ‘hostile government’ using Israeli-made spyware
Amnesty International has said that an employee was targeted by a sophisticated Israeli-made spyware, stressing that it was "a deliberate attempt" to snoop on the group by a government "hostile" to the organization's work. The incident took place in June this year when an unnamed Amnesty employee received a cryptic message via WhatsApp messenger. It contained a malicious link to a website which installs spyware when visited. Amnesty said such links are "used to distribute and deploy sophisticated mobile spyware" and are part of the Pegasus spyware platform sold by Israeli surveillance vendor, NSO Group. The spyware is able to "relay phone calls, photos, messages and more," Amnesty added. NSO Group "is known to only sell its spyware to governments," Joshua Franco, Amnesty International's Head of Technology and Human Rights said. He stressed that the group believes that this was "a deliberate attempt to infiltrate Amnesty International by a government hostile to our human rights … [Read more...] about ‘Chilling attack’: Amnesty says employee targeted by ‘hostile government’ using Israeli-made spyware