"When it is successfully deployed against a target, the hacking software called Graphite can hack into any phone. By essentially taking control of the mobile phone, the user in this case, Ice can not only track an individual's whereabouts, read their messages, look at their photographs, but it can also open and read information held on encrypted applications, like WhatsApp or Signal. Spyware like Graphite can also be used as a listening device, through the manipulation of the phone's recorder."
"The Department of Homeland Security first entered into a contract with Paragon, now owned by a US firm, in late 2024, under the Biden administration. But the $2m contract was put on hold pending a compliance review to make sure it adhered to an executive order that restricts the US government's use of spyware, Wired reported at the time. That pause has now been lifted, according to public procurement documents, which lists the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) as the contracting agency."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been given a contract granting operational access to Graphite, a commercial spyware tool capable of compromising any mobile phone. The contract with Paragon Solutions, an Israel-founded company now owned by a U.S. firm, was initiated in late 2024 and valued at $2 million. A compliance review under an executive order restricting government use of commercial spyware was previously applied, but the pause has been lifted. Graphite can take control of a device, track locations, read messages and photos, extract data from encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal, and activate microphones to record audio. Civil and human rights groups have raised due process concerns.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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