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Serbian police used Cellebrite to unlock, then plant spyware, on a journalist’s phone
In a disturbing turn of events, Amnesty International has revealed that the Serbian authorities have been using Cellebrite, a digital forensics tool, to not only extract data from devices but also to install malware and spyware. This alarming practice was allegedly used against a journalist, further underscoring the gravity of the situation.
According to Amnesty, the Serbian police employed Cellebrite to unlock a journalist’s phone, after which they planted NoviSpy, a sophisticated piece of spyware that could capture sensitive information such as emails, messages, and even the device’s location. The organization also discovered that the BIA (Serbia’s national security agency) was linked to the same IP address range that hosted the public website of the BIA in 2015.
The presence of an incrementing user ID within NoviSpy’s code suggests that Serbian authorities may have infected more than twenty people with this malware. Additionally, the discovery of a zero-day exploit used against a Serbian activist’s device using Cellebrite implies that the company’s tools can be used to install malware, contradicting its claims.
Cellebrite’s spokesperson Victor Cooper stated that their tools cannot be used to install malware and emphasized that it would take a third-party to do so. However, this statement seems to conflict with the findings of Amnesty International.
The incident raises serious concerns about surveillance and privacy violations in Serbia.
Source: techcrunch.com
