Vas Panagiotopoulos

wired.comICE Signs $2 Million Contract With Spyware Maker Paragon SolutionsUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s one-year contract with Paragon’s US subsidiary comes amid the Biden administration’s years-long crackdown on commercial spyware vendors.

2 Oct 2024

🇺🇸 Immigration and Customs Enforcement has signed a $2 million contract with 🇮🇱Israeli commercial #spyware vendor Paragon Solutions. It is unknown whether the contract is for the deployment of Paragon’s flagship product Graphite. My latest for WIRED. 👇 www.wired.com/story/ice-pa...

cdt.orgCivil Society Urges the Commission to Close Loopholes in Surveillance Export RulesThis is a joint letter that CDT Europe and civil society partners are sending to the European Commission, calling it to close the gaps that allow surveillance technology made in the EU to end up in th...

Commission’s guidelines undermine the 🇪🇺Dual-Use Regulation: ➡️Human rights considerations for the export of listed surveillance tech are not addressed, risking exports to abuse-prone countries. ➡️Transparency guidelines weaken member states’ reporting obligations, limiting public scrutiny of exports.

CDT Europe@cdteu.org

🚨 The EU is evaluating its Dual-Use Regulation. CDT Europe & 8 human rights orgs have sent a joint letter to urge the Commission to strengthen surveillance-export rules, ensure transparency, and align demands for meaningful human rights due diligence. 👇🏻 Read the full letter:

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Hannah Neumann

@hneumannmep.bsky.social

Together with @saskiabricmont.bsky.social and 33 other MEPs from 5 political groups, we urge @europarl.europa.eu, @ec.europa.eu and @consilium.europa.eu to investigate their exposure to zero-click spyware. More in our letter: 1/2

politico.euLa députée Agnès Pannier-Runacher visée par un logiciel espionL’ancienne ministre a été alertée d’une tentative d’espionnage sur son téléphone en août. La DGSI a ouvert une enquête.

🇫🇷MP & former minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher says she was targeted by commercial spyware 3 times—twice as a minister & once as an MP. She filed a complaint with France’s domestic intel. agency (DGSI) on 28/09. Pegasus has been ruled out so far, according to Politico. www.politico.eu/article/la-d...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Raphael Satter

@raphae.li

Scoop: We looked over the shoulder of a Chinese-speaking hacker as they used AI agents to compromise more than 100 sites, including digital properties belonging to tractor maker Deere and home appliance firm SharkNinja. Almost *entirely* autonomous hacking. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

reuters.comEXCLUSIVE: How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sitesOver the past couple of weeks, a cybersecurity researcher watched as a Chinese-speaking hacker broke into websites belonging to more than 100 companies, including farm equipment maker Deere , home app...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Ron Deibert

@rondeibert.bsky.social

NEW @citizenlab.ca report (in collaboration with SHARE Foundation) We find more cases in Serbia of Pro-Democracy figures' devices targeted with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware citizenlab.ca/research/peg...

citizenlab.caTargeting Democracy: Pegasus and Mercenary Spyware Attacks on Serbian Pro-Democracy Figures - The Citizen LabIn collaboration with the SHARE Foundation, we found with high confidence that Professor Vladan Đokić, Rector of the University of Belgrade, and prominent supporter of the Serbian student movement, wa...

techpolicy.pressDespite Spyware Attacks on Its Own Officials, EU Response Falls ShortDespite evidence of widespread targeting within EU institutions, the bloc has yet to take its own security problem seriously, writes Vas Panagiotopoulos.

Despite evidence of widespread #spyware targeting within 🇪🇺EU institutions, the bloc has yet to take its own security problem seriously, let alone introduce EU-wide legislation specifically addressing spyware misuse. My latest for @techpolicypress.bsky.social 👇 www.techpolicy.press/despite-spyw...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻‍💻

@natynettle.bsky.social

Bad news. US District Court denied WhatsApp's motion to hold NSO in contempt for continuing to hack WhatsApp users after a court order barred it from doing so. The evidence wasn't "clear and convincing" enough.

en.philenews.com‘Black van’ businessmen held roles in same company, records showCompany records show Tal Dilian and Avraham Shahak Avni were both involved in Poltrex, despite Dilian saying he was being linked with Avni arbitrarily.

🇨🇾Company records show that Tal Dilian & Avraham Shahak Avni both held roles in the same Cyprus-registered company, Poltrex, even though Dilian said on Monday that he was being linked with Avni arbitrarily. en.philenews.com/local/black-...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Andrew Couts

@couts.bsky.social

NEW: Researchers at @citizenlab.ca found ~45 phones belonging to @aljazeera.com infected with zero-click spyware that was distributed via online ads—a “nightmare scenario” that is extremely difficult to defend against. @mattburgess1.bsky.social & @lhn.bsky.social report www.wired.com/story/nightm...

wired.com‘Nightmare Scenario’: Zero-Click Spyware Is Infecting Phones via Targeted AdsResearchers at The Citizen Lab have for the first time released technical evidence of sophisticated mercenary spyware being distributed via online advertising.

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Julian-Ferdinand Vögele

@julianferdinand.bsky.social

1/8 Today, @ashl3y-shen.bsky.social from Cisco Talos and I are publishing “Break the Silence: Tracking Silent Lynx Through Exposed Infrastructure,” a report on cyber espionage across Central Asia / wider CIS that we presented today at @virusbtn.bsky.social: www.recordedfuture.com/blog/tag193-...

recordedfuture.comTAG-193’s Regional Espionage OperationsExplore joint Cisco Talos and Recorded Future research on TAG-193's cyber-espionage operations targeting government across Central Asia and the wider Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Suzanne Smalley

@suzannesmalley.bsky.social

Polish officials: NSO had access to citizens' data + transmitted it to Israel. “The server module responsible for infecting mobile devices remained under the manufacturer's exclusive control,” prosecutors say. NSO has long promised customers it can't see their data therecord.media/spyware-manu...

therecord.mediaSpyware manufacturer had access to data harvested by former Polish government, current PM saysPrime Minister Donald Tusk, who ordered the investigation, on Monday called the sprawling spyware operation spearheaded by the country’s previous ruling party “one of the biggest scandals in Polish hi...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

@lorenzofb.bsky.social

Great conversation here of the scoop I wrote last week: www.404media.co/cops-can-byp...

404media.coCops Can Bypass iPhone’s Automatic Reboot to Get Into Locked Phones, Leaked Video ClaimsMagnet Forensics, the owner of the GrayKey phone unlocking tool, says it can bypass an iPhone rebooting feature that was locking cops out.

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🇵🇱 Poland’s Pegasus inquiry presented the public part of its final report on Monday, summing up two years of work in a document expected to run to around 700 pages.

Among others, Polish prosecutors revealed that data harvested from mobile phones by the Polish authorities using Pegasus #spyware were transmitted outside Poland and were accessible to NSO Group.

notesfrompoland.comIsraeli producer had access to data harvested by Poland using Pegasus spyware, say prosecutors

➡️ Chair Magdalena Sroka announced further referrals to prosecutors, including concerning politicians not previously linked to the scandal. notesfrompoland.com/2026/10/12/i...

english.elpais.comDigital surveillance and control spread across Latin America under governments of all stripesA report by the organization Derechos Digitales has documented more than 100 cybersecurity violations over the course of a year

More than 100 cases recorded over less than a year, between June 2024 and May 2025, are documented in the report In the Crosshairs 2: An Overview of Digital Threats in Latin America, published by the nonprofit organization Derechos Digitales. english.elpais.com/internationa...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Thomas Brewster

@thomasbrewster.bsky.social

🚨NEW🚨 In 2024, Apple launched a feature that rebooted an iPhone locked for 72 hours, making them much harder for cops to search. Now, court/contract records and data obtained via FOIA show cops across America using a tool to break that protection. ICE is now a user. www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...

forbes.comICE Has A Hacking Tool That Breaks A Key Apple Security FeatureICE agents and cops across America are using a product called Graykey Preserve, which halts an Apple timer that makes it much harder to search an iPhone after 72 hours.

During his keynote address at the SecTor 2026 conference, @rondeibert.bsky.social opined that the 🇺🇸Trump administration and the technology leaders that have allied themselves with the US president are pushing an authoritarian agenda and "techno-fascism" movement.

Additionally, Deibert noted ties between Trump’s inner circle and the #spyware industry: NSO Group, after being acquired by US investors led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds, appointed David Friedman, Trump’s former bankruptcy attorney and ambassador to Israel, as executive chairman.

darkreading.comCitizen Lab Slams Trump, 'Techno-Fascist' ExecutivesThe Citizen Lab's Ron Deibert warns the US government is pushing for pervasive surveillance, saying some technology executives are all too happy to help.

➡️ "We know they're #lobbying furiously to get off the sanctions list," he said. Deibert also noted that ICE reactivated its Paragon Solutions contract, previously paused by Biden amid a US crackdown on commercial spyware. ✍️ @darkreading.bsky.social Rob Wright www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/c...

wired.comThe Secrets of a US Spyware KingIn an exclusive interview with WIRED, Paragon Solutions CEO Andrew Boyd reveals the limits of the company’s promise to keep bad actors from abusing its powerful espionage tool.

👀 Fascinating to read the Paragon Solutions (US) CEO’s interview in @wired.com. We know so much more about the #spyware vendor today than we did when I first uncovered its $2m contract with 🇺🇸ICE back in 2024.

Kim Zetter@kimzetter.bsky.social

Exclusive: Israeli spyware maker Paragon positions itself as more responsible than competitor NSO Group. But company's new US CEO says in candid interview that while they will cut off customers who misuse their spyware they have no ability to detect or investigate customer misuse, nor want ability

Full SEC filing here: www.sec.gov/Archives/edg...

sec.govsec.gov

kalkinemedia.comBold Eagle Acquisition Corp. Requests Shareholder Vote to Extend Business Combination Deadline

NEW: On 5 October, Bold Eagle Acquisition Corp. filed a proxy asking shareholders to vote on October 20 on a proposal to extend its deadline to 25 June 2027 to complete its business combination with REDLattice. kalkinemedia.com/us/news/anno...

ekathimerini.comEx-MEP’s lawsuit triggers spyware investigation | eKathimerini.comAthens prosecutors have ordered a preliminary investigation into a formal complaint by left-wing former European Parliament member and journalist Stelios Kouloglou that his mobile phone was infected w...

Athens prosecutors have ordered a preliminary investigation into a formal complaint by former MEP and journalist Stelios Kouloglou that his mobile phone was infected with #spyware. www.ekathimerini.com/politics/131...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Replying to @vaspanagiotopoulos.com

⚠️ Boyd wouldn't confirm to @kimzetter.bsky.social how many products the combined companies possess: "together they now have between five and 10." ➡️ However, REDLattice's Investor Presentation (SEC filing from Sept 29) DOES list specifically 8 products:

Kim Zetter@kimzetter.bsky.social

Apparently the largest contract in the company's history was signed this year: "In Q2, REDLattice signed a new EMEA customer with an annual contract value of approximately $26m covering 3 products."

‼️💰Finally the transaction foresees a "cash earnout to Paragon" of $119 million.

Kim Zetter@kimzetter.bsky.social

💡 ➡️ REDLattice also boasts that: "Functionality is **not** impacted by device reboots or device OS upgrades." ➡️ Also: "EXCLUDES all 🇺🇸US mobile devices"

REDLattice/Paragon state that they currently serve 23 countries around the 🌍 world – a number, they claim, could increase to 35.

Kim Zetter@kimzetter.bsky.social

PRODUCT ALPHA "uses AI to maintain and develop new access vectors." "Remote, zero-interaction, agentless mobile data acquisition software for at-the-edge tactical access" ⁉️(Could this be Graphite? Paragon's flagship product)

Some more examples: ➡️ PRODUCT CHARLIE "Stealthy, zero-interaction intelligence collection from mobile devices including E2EE messaging" ➡️ PRODUCT BRAVO "Purpose-built mobile intelligence platform for close-access reconnaissance and data collection"

Kim Zetter@kimzetter.bsky.social

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

@lorenzofb.bsky.social

NEW: An iPhone hacking company claims it can freeze the iPhone in a state that makes it easier for cops to access data. The iPhone has an automatic reboot feature that reverts the device to a state where data is harder to extract. This would defeat that feature. www.404media.co/cops-can-byp...

404media.coCops Can Bypass iPhone’s Automatic Reboot to Get Into Locked Phones, Leaked Video ClaimsMagent Forensics, the owner of the GrayKey phone unlocking tool, says it can bypass an iPhone rebooting feature that was locking cops out.

🇲🇦Morocco has repeatedly denied using spyware to spy on its citizens. However, new evidence obtained by @amnesty.org incl. whistleblower testimony, leaked surveillance data, govt #spyware targeting records and material from companies selling surveillance tools proves the opposite.

"Phone calls are routinely intercepted. Location data is tracked, exposing the daily movements of activists.. Safir described how phone shops were co-opted to sell mobile phones pre-infected with spyware by DGST agents & how neighbours of targeted human rights defenders are recruited as informants."

Full report here: www.amnesty.org/en/wp-conten...

amnesty.orgamnesty.org

Drawing on this evidence, the organisation documents not only the range of tools and techniques used to target dissent, but the web of international vendors providing them.

courthousenews.comJudge tosses Salvadoran journalists’ suit against Israeli spyware supplier"None of this has anything to do with California," a federal judge said of the journalists’ claims.

A federal judge dismissed a case brought by a group of Salvadoran investigative journalists on Wednesday who claim they were the targets of spyware attacks from NSO Group, finding they didn’t prove California was the right venue for their suit. www.courthousenews.com/judge-tosses...

knightcolumbia.orgCourt Dismisses Journalists’ Case Against Spyware Manufacturer NSO Group

Journalists and other members of El Faro intend to appeal: knightcolumbia.org/content/cour...

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Ron Deibert

@rondeibert.bsky.social

Journalist and former MEP Stelios Kouloglou has filed a lawsuit against the Israeli executives of NSO Group, the manufacturer of Pegasus spyware. In July, @citizenlab.ca discovered Stelios' phone had been hacked with Pegasus spyware citizenlab.ca/research/mem... www.dnews.gr/eidhseis/pol...

dnews.grΝέα διάσταση στις υποκλοπές: Μήνυση Κούλογλου σε βάρος των Ισραηλινών υπευθύνων για το Pegasus - DnewsΝέα τροπή στην υπόθεση των τηλεφωνικών υποκλοπών δίνει η μήνυση του Στέλιου Κούλογλου κατά των υπευθύνων της ισραηλινής εταιρείας NSO Group για την παρακολούθησή του με το κατασκοπευτικό λογισμικό Peg...

globes.co.ilהשותפים לשעבר של אהוד ברק בדרך להקמת חברת סייבר חדשה | בלעדיגלובס

Paragon CEO Idan Nurik is planning a new AI/cyber company after leaving the #spyware firm. He is expected to be joined by Ehud Schneorson. The venture has already attracted preliminary investment commitments from Sequoia & former NBA player Omri Casspi’s Swish fund. www.globes.co.il/news/article...

“In recent weeks, more and more investors at leading 🇺🇸US venture capital funds have been approached.”

calcalistech.comIsraeli cyber company Paragon to go public through Nasdaq SPAC merger at $1.25 billion valuation | CTechThe company and U.S. partner REDLattice generated $267 million in combined revenue over the past year, up 29%.

⚠️ Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions announced Monday that it will go public through a merger with a Nasdaq-listed SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) at a pre-money enterprise value of $1.25 billion. www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/ar...

cc: @zackwhittaker.com @josephcox.bsky.social @evacide.bsky.social

Vas Panagiotopoulos reposted

Antoaneta Roussi

@antoanetaroussi.bsky.social

NEW: Oxygen Forensics, accused of being secretly run from Russia by the U.S. DOJ, has worked on Commission-backed projects and sold its services to European law enforcement agencies. www.politico.eu/article/russ...

politico.euRussian tech surveillance company infiltrated Europe’s law enforcement agenciesThe same technology used by Western police was allegedly being developed in Russia and sold to Russian security services.