Key Takeaways
1. Memento Labs’ CEO confirmed that their “Dante” malware was used in a phishing attack and developed for a government client.
2. A phishing attack targeted Windows users in Russia and Belarus, luring them with invitations to a political and economic forum.
3. The phishing attack aimed for international espionage, as stated by both Kaspersky and Memento Labs.
4. The specific organization behind the phishing attack remains unclear, raising concerns about government misuse of surveillance tools.
5. The situation parallels the Pegasus incident, highlighting risks associated with cybersecurity firms providing surveillance technology to governments.
The CEO of Memento Labs, a company that creates spyware and surveillance technology, has confirmed that the “Dante” malware mentioned in a recent Kaspersky security report was indeed developed by Memento Labs and was utilized by what he referred to as a “government client.”
Phishing Attack Details
According to the Kaspersky report, a significant number of Windows users in Russia and Belarus experienced a complex phishing attack. Victims were led to believe they were invited to an international political and economic forum. By simply clicking the link in the email, the infection would begin, assuming they were using an updated version of Google Chrome. Those affected included individuals from universities, research organizations, and media companies.
Espionage Intentions
Kaspersky determined that the goal of this phishing attack was international espionage. This statement is supported by Memento Labs CEO Paolo Lazzi, who mentioned (through TechCrunch) that the phishing was carried out using their Dante spyware, and that the responsible party was a “government client.”
Unclear Origins
It is still not clear which specific organization was behind the phishing attack. Nevertheless, similar to the Pegasus incident, this situation highlights the problems that can arise when cybersecurity firms offer tools and services that could enable governments to monitor their own citizens or those in other nations.
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