Android and iOS devices were hacked using Italian tools, says Google

Google has published a new report, in which it says that RCS lab, a technology company based in Milan, has developed tools to spy on messages and contacts on Android and iOS smartphones.

In the report, Google says that seven of the nine zero-day vulnerabilities discovered by their threat analysis group in 2021, were enabled by commercial providers and sold to, and used by government-backed entities.

The company says the commercial vendors provide the technical expertise and knowledge required to use these tools, and "operationalize exploits".

Google says they observed typical attack and infection vectors in the tools, that were used to target mobile users on both iOS and Android. The victims of these attacks have been traced to Italy and Kazakhstan.

Speaking with The Guardian, an Apple spokesperson said that they had revoked all known accounts and certificates that were part of the hacking campaign.

"RCS Lab personnel are not exposed, nor participate in any activities conducted by the relevant customers," the Italian company in question, told Reuters. Google said that it had taken steps to inform and protect Android users from the spyware known as Hermit.

In the report, Google mentions that the commercial spyware industry is growing at a significant rate, putting the internet at risk. It says these vendors give access to hacking tools to arm governments.

While use of surveillance software is legal in international law, they are often used for more anti-ethical purposes, "targeting dissidents, journalists, human rights workers and opposition party politicians."

Another reason why Google views these vendors as a risk to the internet, is because they stock pile zero-day vulnerabilities without disclosing them for their own gain. If the vendor himself were to be compromised, this could pose a serious risk to the internet at large.

This has happened in the past with multiple-spyware vendors in the past, who have had entire stockpiles of vulnerabilities leaked on to the internet, putting everyone at risk.