Targets were sent emails disguised as important communications, such as official summonses, bearing links to malicious software disguised as important documents. If opened, targets’ computers would have been infected with NetWire, a piece of commodity malware.
Over the course of our multi-year investigation, we found that Dark Basin likely conducted commercial espionage on behalf of their clients against opponents involved in high profile public events, criminal cases, financial transactions, news stories, and advocacy. This report highlights several clusters of targets. In future reports, we will provide more details about specific clusters of targets and Dark Basin’s activities.
公民实验室2020年5月7日发布报告指出，中国最流行的社交媒体软件微信是对平台上的文档和图像内容实施监控，并使用监控所得的数据训练其审查系统。本文是对该报告的概述，以及与研究团队的一些常见问答。
公民實驗室2020年5月7日發布報告指出，中國最流行的社交媒體軟件微信是對平台上的文檔和圖像內容實施監控，並使用監控所得的數據訓練其審查系統。本文是對該報告的概述，以及與研究團隊的一些常見問答。
On May 7 2020, the Citizen Lab published a report that documents how WeChat (the most popular social app in China) conducts surveillance of images and files shared on the platform and uses the monitored content to train censorship algorithms. This document provides a summary of the research findings and questions and answers from the research team.
In what follows, I first provide a summary of the Citizen Lab’s recent investigation into the security of Zoom’s video conferencing application, and the company’s responses. I then discuss a broader range of digital security risks that are relevant to the work-from-home routines that MPs and their staff are following. Finally, I conclude with six recommendations.
يفحص هذا التقرير التشفير الذي يحمي الاجتماعات في تطبيق Zoom الرائج. وجدنا أن Zoom لديه نظام تشفير “خاص به” ، ويحتوي على نقاط ضعف كبيرة. بالإضافة إلى ذلك حددنا نقاط تثير القلق في البنية التحتية لـ Zoom ، بما في ذلك نقل مفاتيح التشفير للاجتماعات عبر الصين.
This report examines the encryption that protects meetings in the popular Zoom teleconference app. We find that Zoom has “rolled their own” encryption scheme, which has significant weaknesses. In addition, we identify potential areas of concern in Zoom’s infrastructure, including observing the transmission of meeting encryption keys to China.
New York Times journalist Ben Hubbard was targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware via a June 2018 SMS message promising details about “Ben Hubbard and the story of the Saudi Royal Family.” The SMS contained a hyperlink to a website used by a Pegasus operator that we call KINGDOM. We have linked KINGDOM to Saudi Arabia. In 2018, KINGDOM also targeted Saudi dissidents including Omar Abdulaziz, Ghanem al-Masarir, and Yahya Assiri, as well as a staff member at Amnesty International.
This comprehensive Toronto Star profile provides an overview of the Citizen Lab’s work, impact, and history, mapping our journey from a initial Ford Foundation grant to an organization with 18 staff and a dozen research fellows.
