On Sunday, the first reports were published under the banner of the Pegasus Project, revealing the results of an investigation into how NSO Group’s military-grade spyware has been used to hack the smartphones of business leaders, heads of state, activists, journalists, politicians and more. The findings of this investigation, compiled by a consortium of media organizations across the globe, capture the implications of this commercially available spyware.
Pegasus Project investigation uncovers the reach and implications of NSO Group spyware
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Pegasus Spyware
Verizon recently released its annual Mobile Security Index, an always-anticipated snapshot of experiences and attitudes among senior professionals responsible for their organization’s mobile security. This year’s results crystallize what we at Privoro have known for some time: that mobile devices are as indispensable to modern business as they are challenging to protect. Let’s dig into the highlights.
In September 2019, attribution was given to Israel for the IMSI catchers discovered in Washington, D.C. two years earlier, shining light on the prevalence of these types of spying devices. Once used solely by law enforcement as a way of finding the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) linked to a criminal suspect’s SIM card for investigative purposes, now just about anyone can acquire or build an IMSI catcher to intercept a target’s communications. With such low barriers to entry, it’s no longer just the bad guys who need to be worried about these devices.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Mobile Tracking, IMSI Catchers
Today is Data Privacy Day, a perfect opportunity to learn how to keep your smartphone from being used for tracking purposes. While it can feel like a daunting challenge to escape the intrusive tracking practices employed by tech companies, advertisers and other players in the surveillance economy, use the four tips below to start taking back control of your digital privacy.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Mobile Tracking, Data Privacy Day, Surveillance capitalism
Lack of emphasis on secure teleworking is a national security risk.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Hacking, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, spyware
CEO walks out of nondescript office building accompanied by COLLEAGUE. CEO pulls smartphone out of her purse to study a restaurant’s website. Her smartphone’s status bar blinks briefly to indicate a change in cellular connection status.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Hacking, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, IMSI Catchers
A quick update on 2019 mobile predictions made in January.
So far this year, the surreptitious capture of audio and visual data via smartphone cameras and microphones has negatively impacted the world’s richest person and a beloved trillion-dollar company. It’s safe to say that awareness of this issue has reached the mainstream, increasingly forcing individuals, enterprises and product makers to change how they operate. To see how the trajectory of smartphone surveillance has changed even in the last several months, I think it would be helpful to look back at my 2019 predictions as a starting point.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Hacking, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Smartphone Security, Corporate Espionage, spyware
How Apple shapes the narrative about smartphone security.
In August, we conducted our annual survey designed to gauge attitudes about mobile security and privacy. In looking behind this year’s numbers, I was struck by how shifting perspectives seem to mirror the goings-on in the world of Apple. As a trillion-dollar company and the maker of the ever-popular iPhone, Apple has a metaphorical magnifying glass on everything it does, good or bad.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Hacking, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Smartphone Security
Organizations concerned about sensor abuse are now adopting the Privoro SafeCase™, a first-of-its-kind mobile security solution companion for smartphones that not only provides its own set of trusted sensors but also protects against illicit audio/video capture by hijacked cameras and microphones.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Hacking, Smartphone Vulnerabilities
The piece of hardware at the cutting edge of cybersecurity.
By John Chambers, Founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures and former CEO and Chairman of Cisco
As a mentor, investor, and longtime player in the tech industry, I’m frequently asked which market segments I’m betting big on over the coming decade. My knack for spotting market transitions and the technologies that will fuel these shifts partially stems from my relentless focus on outcomes. That’s why I approach investing like a multiplayer chess game; I play out the entire game, replay various scenarios and anticipate others’ moves before I make the decision to invest my time and resources.
Topics: Mobile Security, Smartphone Vulnerabilities, Smartphone Security, JC2 Ventures, Connecting the Dots, John Chambers, Trusted Hardware