Sanctioned spyware maker Intellexa had direct access to government espionage victims, researchers say | TechCrunch

"Perhaps the most striking revelation is that people working at Intellexa could allegedly remotely access the surveillance systems of at least some of its customers via TeamViewer, an off-the-shelf tool that allows users to connect to other computers over the internet. The remote access is shown in a leaked training video revealing privileged parts of the Predator spyware system, including its dashboard, as well as the "storage system containing photos, messages and all other surveillance data gathered from victims of the Predator spyware,""

"(Amnesty published screenshots taken from the video, but not the full video.) The nonprofit researchers wrote that the leaked video shows apparent "live" Predator infection attempts "against real targets," based on detailed information "from at least one infection attempt against a target in Kazakhstan." The video contained the infection URL, the target's IP address, and the software versions of the target's phone."

Leaked company materials show that Intellexa staff could remotely access some customers' Predator surveillance systems using TeamViewer. A training video reveals privileged components of the spyware, including the dashboard and a storage system containing photos, messages, and other surveillance data extracted from infected phones. The leaked footage appears to show live infection attempts against real targets, with visible infection URLs, target IP addresses, and phone software versions, including at least one attempt against a target in Kazakhstan. The existence of remote access contradicts past claims by spyware vendors that they do not access customers' systems or target data.

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