A training centre in Greece teaching agents how to use the highly invasive surveillance software Predator was run by a Greek Cypriot man, a global investigation claimed this week.
The man is described as the main person creating infected messages sent to targets that allowed them to fall victim to the Predator surveillance software.
Predator can infiltrate a device when the user simply clicks on a malicious link, but it can also be delivered through tactical attacks, which can silently infect nearby devices.
The spyware has the ability to record phone calls and collect information from messaging apps, stripping individuals from any privacy of their digital life.
Journalists, politicians and activists have already fallen prey, including Greek reporter Thanasis Koukakis.
The unnamed Greek Cypriot man is reported to have trained users in how to infect devices with Predator and how to access an individual’s messages and personal data.
Additionally, the man, who also had a company in Cyprus, is said to have been involved in helping former Israeli intelligence officer Tal Dillian set up the infamous spy van in Cyprus which came to light in 2019.
This week’s findings by the European Investigative Collaborations media network reveal how a European spyware consortium ‘Intellexa’ supplied cyberweapons to governments across the world.
Intellexa was founded in 2018 by Dillian who, a year later, gave an interview to Forbes effectively advertising millions of dollars’ worth of surveillance equipment through a van in Cyprus, which could intercept communications within a one-kilometre radius.
Dubbed the ‘Predator Files’, this week’s allegations had technical assistance from Amnesty International’s Security Lab.
Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld was quoted on German news site Spiegel, naming Cyprus as one of the countries helping “spy on people around the world”.
Describing the issue of surveillance, she said “real hotspots” have emerged across Europe for the surveillance industry with places that “support it with a reliable financial system and tax breaks”.
The Netherlands, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Bulgaria and “many other member states help spy on people around the world,” in’t Veld said.
The findings centred on the Intellexa alliance, described by Amnesty as “a complex, morphing group of interconnected companies — and Predator, its highly invasive spyware”.
Intellexa alliance’s products have been found in at least 25 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa and have been used to undermine human rights, press freedom and social movements across the globe.
The revelations depict ineffective EU regulation in controlling global surveillance, while Intellexa says it is an “EU-based and regulated company”.
“Mercenary surveillance companies like the Intellexa alliance have continued to peddle their wares and make millions in profit at the expense of human rights with almost complete impunity. European Union states must stop shirking their responsibilities and start reining in these companies,” said Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, head of Amnesty International’s Security Lab.