Canadian watchdog warns of new Israeli spyware, Quadream
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A Canadian watchdog has uncovered that yet another Israeli spyware program, Quadream, has been used to target journalists and politicians in 10 nations.
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An office listed as belonging to Quadream in "Israel", January 25, 2022. (Reuters)
According to a Canadian watchdog, another Israeli spyware program similar to the infamous Pegasus program was used to target journalists and opposition politicians in ten nations. Microsoft and Citizen Lab, which analyzes the misuse of digital technology, issued the report on Tuesday.
QuaDream, which was founded by a former Israeli military official, is also tied to soldiers who worked on Pegasus, and has targeted at least five victims who have yet to be named. Both Israeli espionage applications have been marketed to governments in the United States, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The regions targeted included occupied Palestine, Singapore, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and Bulgaria.
According to the Canadian watchdog, QuaDream has offered malware and services to governments in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Ghana, Indonesia, and Morocco.
Citizen Lab revealed that those targeted include journalists, political opposition figures, and an NGO worker.
Read more: Israeli spyware NSO still hides among the walls of the White House
Several of the governments that have used Pegasus have been accused of using it against nonviolent domestic dissent. The Israeli spyware is alleged to have targeted world leaders, including French President Emanuel Macron, as well as senior lawmakers and journalists.
It is worth noting that the Israeli-led spyware industry has been embroiled in a seemingly never-ending spate of extremely prominent controversies. Revelations that it sells its spyware to authoritarian regimes, that its products have been used to spy on journalists, activists, politicians, and even world leaders, and accusations that it played a role in murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death have put it at the center of international criticism.
