UK Company Provided Spy Software To Egypt

[Kaslandy]

Digital intelligence firm Gamma International last year tried to sell a type of malware to the Egyptian security service that could infect the computers of dissidents and access their email and other communication tools, according to a report in The Washington Times.

The contract, dated June 29, 2010, was seen by a blogger and activist named Mostafa Hossein last month when he took part in a raid of state security’s headquarters that uncovered the documentation amid scattered papers and interrogation devices. Hossein, who has a day job as a doctor in Cairo, posted the document on the software dubbed FinFisher on his blog, here.

Gamma describes FinFisher on its website as a “Remote Monitoring and Infection Solution” that can be used against a target to gain “full access to stored information with the ability to take control of the target systems functions to the point of capturing encrypted data and communications. In combination with enhanced remote infection methods, the Government Agency will have the capability to remotely infect target systems.”

This wouldn’t be the first time a Western digital intelligence firm has been accused of supplying undemocratic regimes with software to spy on its citizens. An independent investigation by supporters of the hacktivist collective Anonymous claimed in March that a Virginia-based firm called Booze Allen Hamilton was supplying spying software to the government of Azerbaijan.

Egypt proposal, and throws up some interesting moral conundrums for itself on the issue. Should F-Secure, which offers services to protect computers and malware, opt out of detecting certain government trojans, depending which government was making the request? The U.S.? Britain? Egypt?

[Berry lee]

Tks for sharing.

[Little carrot]

wide use of spy software.

[nancy]

is it illegal to use the spy software?

[Bigbang]

Is Egypt another market? Why not choose USA, Australia?

[Coco]

Useful information~ Thanks for sharing.

[sophie hello]

Thanks for sharing.