Such an attack is a blatant violation of freedom of speech and press freedom. However, the company is sure that its primary objective was to spy on them and collect sensitive data and information. The screenshot shared by Avast shows the malicious code injected into the compromised website stylishblockcomĪvast malware researcher Jan Vojtěšek stated that it is currently unclear why the attackers targeted people in the Middle East, particularly journalists. In Lebanon, Candiru also compromised a news agency website. The US Commerce Department sanctioned Candiru for its involvement in anti-US activities.Īccording to Avast, Candiru used the Chrome zero-day in March 2022 to target people in Palestine, Turkey, and Yemen and Lebanese journalists. However, as per Avast’s research, Candiru’s spyware was used to target political dissidents, journalists, and critics of authoritarian and repressive regimes. Like NSO Group’s Pegasus Spyware, Candiru’s spyware is also used by law enforcement agencies and governments to confront crime and terrorism. Vulnerability DetailsĪvast reported that someone exploited the zero-day flaw already to spy on Lebanese journalists. It is worth noting that the flaw was identified by Avast and disclosed to Google on 1st July 2022, and a fix was released on 4th July with Chrome 103. The vulnerability is linked to Candiru aka Saito Tech, an Israel-based spyware vendor that offers governments hacking-for-hire services. According to Avast’s report, the Chrome browser vulnerability, which Google patched earlier this month, is tracked as CVE-2022-2294. The spyware vendor Candiru used the Chrome zero-day in March 2022 to target journalists and other unsuspected victims in Palestine, Turkey, and Yemen and Lebanese journalists.Īntivirus firm Avast has identified a serious flaw in the Chrome browser.

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