50 US government employees stationed outside targeted in spyware attack
The smartphones of at least 50 US government employees in multiple countries have been targeted by hackers using spyware. It’s unclear when the attacks took place, but multiple outlets reported that in 2021, the iPhones of about a dozen State Department employees were targeted by a hacker using malicious software developed by an Israeli company.
This incident represents the largest-scale hacking attack on US officials at the time.
“Our efforts to identify additional targeted personnel continue, and we obviously cannot rule out even more instances,” a White House official said on a phone call Monday, noting that the staffers were stationed in 10 countries.
President Biden meanwhile signed an executive order on Monday aimed at curbing spyware attacks by setting guidelines for companies that produce it. The executive order will give the president the power to ban companies that produce spyware from working with the US government. Companies can also be barred from selling to the US government if they are found to be doing business with foreign governments that have a poor human rights track record.
“We have clearly identified the proliferation and misuse of spyware as a threat to national security,” the official said. “The threat of misuse around the world also implicates our core foreign policy interests.”
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