Targeted Threats
Back to ResearchInvestigations into the prevalence and impact of digital espionage operations against civil society groups.
Featured in Targeted Threats
CBC: WhatsApp Attributes Hack of 1,400 Users to NSO Group Technology
Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton discusses why WhatsApp is suing NSO Group after discovering their spyware was used to target 1,400 users—100 of whom were members of civil society—and why this is a significant bellwether.
Latest Research
HIDE AND SEEK: Tracking NSO Group’s Pegasus Spyware to Operations in 45 Countries
In this post, we develop new Internet scanning techniques to identify 45 countries in which operators of NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware may be conducting operations.
Familiar Feeling: A Malware Campaign Targeting the Tibetan Diaspora Resurfaces
Investigation of a malware campaign targeting the Tibetan community and discussion of the challenges in analyzing closed espionage ecosystems.
NSO Group Infrastructure Linked to Targeting of Amnesty International and Saudi Dissident
Citizen Lab validates Amnesty International investigation showing targeting of staff member and Saudi activist with NSO Group’s technology.
Spying on a Budget: Inside a Phishing Operation with Targets in the Tibetan Community
This report describes an inexpensive and technically simple phishing operation. It shows that the continued low adoption rates for digital security features, such as two factor authentication, contribute to the low bar to entry for digital espionage.
የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ተቃዋሚዎች በአዲስ የስለላ ሶፍትዌር ጥቃት ዒላማ ስር
በዩናይትድ ስቴትስ ኦፍ አሜሪካ፣ በእንግሊዝና በሌሎች አገራት የሚገኙ የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ተቃዋሚዎች የአዶቤ ፍላሽ ማሻሻያና የፒዲኤፍ ፕለግኢን በማስመሰል የተራቀቀ የስለላ ሶፍትዌር በያዙ ኢሜይሎች ዒላማ እንደተደረጉ የሚገልጽ ሪፖርት የሲትዝን ላብ ይፋ አድርጓል፡፡ ዒላማ ከተደረጉት መሀል መቀመጫውን በዩናይትድ ስቴትስ ኦፍ አሜሪካ ያደረገ የኢትዮጵያ ዲያስፖራ ብዙኃን መገናኛ፣ የኦሮምያ ሚድያ ኔትወርክ (OMN)፣ አንድ የፒኤችዲ ተማሪና አንድ የህግ ጠበቃ ይገኙበታል፡፡