Mercenary hackers, HackingTeam, claim full control over Windows Phone on behalf of governments

When it comes to mobile platforms, Windows Phone 8 is reportedly very secure. Simply wait at the jailbreak scene on Windows Phone compared to Android and iOS. Sure, the lower number of handsets could be a valid reason why hackers haven't exactly targeted the platform, but you recollect by know nosotros'd be seeing more on the rooting/jailbreak front past now.

Publicly the platform is more or less secure. Still, a mercenary-similar hacking grouping chosen HackingTeam allegedly has control over all operating systems, including Windows Phone.

HackingTeam (hackingteam.it) is an Italian-based firm that offers offensive spying tools for governments. What are those tools you inquire? HackingTeam is reportedly able to bypass encryption and monitor emails, files, Skype, and other VoIP communications. The firm is able to likewise remotely command cameras and microphones. Information technology does all this through Galileo, its remote control organization for governmental interception. Which is too reportedly available on Windows, Os X, iOS, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Linux and more recently Windows Telephone.

Caput to the HackignTeam website and you'll read that they believe:

"…fighting offense should be easy: we provide constructive, easy-to-use offensive engineering science to the worldwide law enforcement and intelligence communities. Engineering science must empower, not hinder."

Don't worry, HackingTeam claims to exist a first-class act and makes their services only bachelor to governments that they don't believe to facilitate gross human rights abuses. Never listen the fact that security researchers accept found their software installed on goverment servers in Mexico, Colombia, Azerbaijan, Republic of kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Morocco, Sudan, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others. Countries that don't exactly fly the flag high for homo rights with transparent governments. HackingTeam claims to only sell their services to regime agencies and never to individuals or corporations. They also say they don't work with countries that have been blacklisted past the European Marriage, United States or NATO.

More recently, HackingTeam's work has been seen targeting the Ethiopian Satellite Tv set (ESAT). This is a grouping that was founded to promote gratis press, commonwealth, respect for human rights, and the rule of police force in Ethiopia. The researchers volition share more about this contempo attack from HackingTeam in the coming weeks. The signal? HackingTeam is targeting independent media, presumably for a governmental client that doesn't agree with the work of ESAT.

Up above nosotros mentioned that Windows Phone was a more recent platform for HackingTeam. Why? About a year ago their remote command system was called Da Vinci and information technology didn't listing Windows Telephone every bit a potential platform for their clients. Today you'll see their video (embedded above) list Windows Phone as a new target.

What changed in the by year? Windows Phone gained marketshare and by doing so became a target to hack. Merely our platform is adequately secure when compared to Android and iOS, how's HackingTeam potentially doing this? The merely way would exist for them to have zero-day attack (undisclosed exploit) that elevates third-party code to execute as platform trusted code.

These claims from HackingTeam are either really terrifying or artificial. They're a nightmare if true because it ways an exploit exists on Windows Telephone that Microsoft isn't aware of. Plus, HackingTeam claims their Galileo services can capture data and transport them back to the remote control system server encrypted and untraceable. Significant if your Windows Phone has been targeted, there would exist no manner for you lot to know.

Once again, these are claims beingness fabricated by HackingTeam and could exist completely bogus. If true, very scary. Thankfully Microsoft should be able to release a patch for all devices (even those infected) if the exploit is plant. And that's if information technology exists to begin with.

Be certain to sentry speakers Claudio Guarnieri and Morgan Marquis-Boire speak about their research on HackingTeam if you're interested to learn more details. Additional information on HackingTeam.

Thanks to Justin Angel (@JustinAngel) for contributing and the tip!

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