UK intelligence: 100 nations have spyware that can hack Britain

(Mason Boycott-Owen – Politico) More than half of the world’s nation states are believed to have purchased technology that could be capable of hacking into Britain’s infrastructure, companies and private networks, U.K. intelligence has found. The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre — which is part of the GCHQ intelligence agency — believes around 100 countries have procured cyber intrusion software, suggesting the barrier for states to get their hands on the technology is dropping, the agency told POLITICO ahead of a discussion about its findings at its CYBERUK conference in Glasgow Wednesday. Commercial hacking technology, often referred to as spyware, has become a booming market over the past two decades. Products such as NSO’s Pegasus and Intellexa’s Predator have been used to target journalists and political dissidents across the world – UK intelligence: 100 nations have spyware that can hack Britain – POLITICO