The UAE used an Israeli hacking tool to spy on Yemeni officials
An international organization revealed that the UAE obtained a unique Israeli hacking tool for espionage and used it against Yemeni officials and activists opposed to it.
The organization Citizen Lab, which is based at the University of Toronto, said in a report that an Israeli group sold a tool on hacking several countries, led by the UAE, to spy on opponents.
Documents stated that the UAE paid about five million dollars to the Israeli Kandero Group in exchange for the spyware program that can infiltrate the Windows system.
According to the documents, the Emirati hacking and espionage operations targeted ministers and senior officials in Yemen, including Socotra Governor Ramzi Mahrous, who is known for his opposition to the UAE presence in the country.
The Emirati authorities have also targeted, using Israeli techniques, journalists and activists who oppose their aggressive role in the country and their support for armed militias.
The report stated that the figures targeted in the UAE, some of them reside in Yemen and others in Europe and Turkey, but are united by the opposition of Abu Dhabi and the continuous condemnation of its plots.
The spying software, which the UAE contracted with the Israeli developer, is among the many intelligence products sold through a clandestine sector that finds vulnerabilities in software platforms commonly used by its clients.
Security researchers conducted a technical analysis and concluded in detail how the tool sold by Kanderu was able to hack into the account of officials and activists in Yemen.
Citizen Lab researchers found evidence that this spyware was able to extract information from several applications used by victims, including Gmail, Skype, Telegram and Facebook.
The program was also able to refer to the history of Internet searches as well as the passwords of the victims and activate the camera and microphone in their devices.
“Kanderu’s growing presence and use of its surveillance technologies against global civil society is a clear reminder that the mercenary spyware sector includes many players and is open to widespread abuse,” the organization emphasized.
It pointed out that the program, which it called Devil’s Tongue, managed to infiltrate famous sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and Yahoo to collect information, read messages from victims and view photos.
Recently, reliable sources revealed that the UAE had signed huge contracts with Israeli companies specialized in espionage and piracy services.
The sources told Emirates Leaks that the contracts were signed during a remarkable presence of Israeli companies and the Mossad at a cybersecurity conference in Dubai last April.
