A leaked document from Gamma Group, a seller of surveillance tools revealed that the iPhone is notoriously difficult to infiltrate, apart from when it is jailbroken.
One particular piece of software is called FinSpy. According to Gamma Groups’ FinSpy software specifications hosted by Wikileaks, the spyware can be used to monitor Skype conversations, take screenshots and photos using a device’s camera, record microphone use, emails, voice-over-IP and extract files from hard discs. FinSpy can be controlled remotely as soon as the compromised device is connected to the internet, according to ZDnet.
Last year, researchers from The Citizen Lab said the spyware had been discovered in use by 25 countries, including being linked to the monitoring of dissidents in Bahrain. While developed by Gamma Group in Munich, Germany and sold through a UK subsidiary as a law enforcement tool, it is also believed to be used to target opposition groups and activists by governments worldwide.
