Italian company finds a way to monitor and tamper with any smartphone
An Italian ethical-hacking company, called Hacking Team, has developed a software system that is touted as being fully capable of monitoring any smartphone. Called Remote Control System, the software tool bypasses the encryption of the major mobile platforms and allows data to be collected remotely. The system is intended for “governmental interception” only and works with any iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or even BlackBerry device. Targets won't notice that their device has been infected or tampered with, because the Remote Control System agent is invisible to the user. The hacking suite won't influence the battery life or the overall performance of the infected smartphone. Remote Control System can be installed either remotely or locally. Hacking Team says that its software enables you to monitor all activities that are being performed on the hacked device and intercept all data that comes in and out of it, too. The collected information is then transmitted to a secure RCS server. The data is encrypted and cannot be traced back.
Hacking Team admitted that it succeeded in hacking the Windows Phone platform thanks to a security flaw in the OS. The vulnerability allows any third-party app or code to bypass security and run as trusted ones.
source: Hacking Team, WikiLeaks via WMPoweruser
Hacking Team admitted that it succeeded in hacking the Windows Phone platform thanks to a security flaw in the OS. The vulnerability allows any third-party app or code to bypass security and run as trusted ones.
"Since we founded the Hacking Team, we have understood the power of our software in law enforcement and intelligence investigations. We also understand the potential for abuse of the surveillance technologies that we produce, and so we take a number of precautions to limit the potential for that abuse. We provide our software only to governments or government agencies. We do not sell products to individuals or private businesses. We do not sell products to governments or to countries blacklisted by the U.S., E.U., U.N., NATO or ASEAN." - Hacking Team's customer policy.
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