The Mediterranean climate is truly something special, isn’t it? Well, it seems that five companies from Southern Europe have been caught in the spotlight by Google for producing spyware software that has been infecting phones worldwide.

Google has accused these companies from Italy, Greece, and Spain of “enabling the use of dangerous hacking tools” and has called on the United States and its allies to take action against the spyware industry. While these businesses claim their products are exclusively for government use for national security, the reality is that these spyware tools are often used to invade the privacy of individuals.

Not too long ago, the Israeli firm NSO’s Pegasus spyware made headlines for being used to spy on people globally. According to Google’s TAG threat-hunting team, there are many other enterprises besides NSO that contribute to the proliferation of spy technology for malicious purposes. The demand from government customers for these tools remains strong, and this report underscores how commercial spyware vendors have contributed to weakening internet safety.

The companies accused of bypassing security measures in iOS and Android include Italian firms Cy4Gate, RCS Labs, and Negg Group; Greek company Intellexa; and Spain’s Variston. Negg Group’s website claims a focus on cybersecurity, but Google found that its software was used to spy on individuals in Italy, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan.

Variston developed software that infected users’ phones through browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or iOS apps. Unfortunately, none of these five companies responded to Reuters for comment or were reachable.

It’s concerning to see such widespread misuse of technology meant for security purposes. It serves as a reminder of how important it is to remain vigilant about online security and privacy. Stay tuned as we continue to keep you updated on all things related to telecommunications and mobile security.