The FSB has initiated a criminal case regarding cyber espionage via smartphones. According to the special service, this involves the covert introduction of malicious software by attackers onto mobile devices with various operating systems. Such programs could collect data from phones: correspondence, conversations, ambient sound around the device, and even video surveillance. This is reported by "Kommersant".
According to journalists, the case was initiated under Articles 272 and 273 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – on unauthorized access to computer information and the creation, use, or distribution of malicious computer programs. The FSB believes that Western special services were behind the attack, using the technical capabilities of large international IT corporations.
According to the investigation, the operation was multi-layered and could have been coordinated by several states. The FSB warned that data on contacts, plans, and public sentiment were collected directly by attackers, without intermediaries.
It is also emphasized that after devices were hacked and compromising information was collected, surveillance victims systematically ended up on US and EU sanctions lists, and then became objects of pressure. The investigation is ongoing.
Experts engaged by the service believe that a modern smartphone can no longer be considered a completely secure device. Lieutenant General (retired), Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Alexander Baranov called the smartphone simultaneously a "user's assistant," a "manufacturer's friend," and an "accomplice of a cyber fraudster." According to him, users often rely too heavily on passwords, although the processors of modern devices can contain hidden areas – so-called trust zones, which are opened with a special password known only to the developer.
Igor Kuznetsov, a representative of "Kaspersky Lab," cited the example of "Operation Triangulation." According to him, attackers used undocumented hardware features of Apple processors to bypass protection systems. The expert noted that the attackers knew exactly how to overcome the last difficult frontier – the processor.
Kuznetsov explained that the infection occurred through an invisible message in a messenger and did not require any action from the user. He called physical isolation of devices the most effective measure of protection when discussing sensitive information. According to him, if there is a smartphone nearby, one must assume that it can record everything.
Experts warn that discussing confidential information near mobile communication devices is unacceptable.
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