For several years now, the murky world of cyber mercenaries has enabled staggering attacks on political leaders, civil liberties, private enterprise and institutions. This included at least 65 persons connected with the Catalan independence, as well as Spanish politicians including the prime minister. On February 6, the US government announced it would put a visa ban on those involved in the commercial spyware industry, including its users, operators and investors, sounding what is perhaps the loudest deterrent yet. To quote the report: “Compared to other cyber threats, spyware is used against a small number of targets. Spyware is often abused by governments for purposes antithetical to a free society including targeting dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition party politicians,” the company said.

Source: Hindustan Times February 10, 2024 21:48 UTC