Targeted Threats
Investigations into the prevalence and impact of digital espionage operations against civil society groups.
Featured in Targeted Threats
Digital Transnational Repression Explained
Citizen Lab produced an animated explainer video on digital transnational repression in Canada that also highlight some of the stories of the interviewees while also protecting their identities.
Latest Research
Champing at the Cyberbit: Ethiopian Dissidents Targeted with New Commercial Spyware
This report describes how Ethiopian dissidents in the US, UK, and other countries were targeted with emails containing sophisticated commercial spyware posing as Adobe Flash updates and PDF plugins. Targets include a US-based Ethiopian diaspora media outlet, a PhD student, a lawyer, and even a Citizen Lab researcher.
Reckless V: Director of Mexican Anti-Corruption Group Targeted with NSO Group’s Spyware
Claudio X. González, the director of Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI: Mexicans Against Impunity and Corruption), becomes the 22nd known individual abusively targeted with NSO’s spyware technology in Mexico.
Protect your Digital Presence with Secure Accounts
Citizen Lab, along with partners Open Effect, the University of New Mexico, and comic book artist Jason Li, have launched Secure Accounts as a free resource to help users better understand potential threats to their online identities and the steps they can take to protect themselves.
Reported Blackstone NSO Deal Failure and the Risks of Investing in Spyware Companies
The purchase of a $400 million stake in spyware company NSO Group by Blackstone Group LP has reportedly fallen through. Reports of the deal attracted critical attention from a range of organizations, including Mexican NGOs involved in investigating NSO, Access Now, and Business and Human Rights.
Reckless IV: Lawyers for Murdered Mexican Women’s Families Targeted with NSO Spyware
Lawyers representing the families of three slain Mexican women were sent infection attempts with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware after questioning official accounts of the killings.