$4 Million Spy Software Spies On Computers In Many Nations Including US

Jeff Larson and Mike Tigas at ProPublica:

Software created by the controversial U.K. based Gamma Group International was used to spy on computers that appear to be located in the United States, the U.K., Germany, Russia, Iran and Bahrain, according to a leaked trove of documents analyzed by ProPublica.

It's not clear whether the surveillance was conducted by governments or private entities. Customer email addresses in the collection appeared to belong to a German surveillance company, an independent consultant in Dubai, the Bosnian and Hungarian Intelligence services, a Dutch law enforcement officer and the Qatari government.

The leaked files — which were posted online by hackers — are the latest in a series of revelations about how state actors including repressive regimes have used Gamma's software to spy on dissidents, journalists and activist groups.

...

It's more than just your government spying on you, though they almost certainly are as well. If you or your company ever had any secrets, you probably don't now. Or maybe you have need of someone else's secrets, and also have $4m to spare...

You know, not that long ago, when I said this sort of thing was happening, people called me a nut‑job. Maybe they were and are right about that, but universal surveillance is very real.