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How much do spies from the Middle Kingdom earn? Researchers respond.
Documents leaked online reveal details about the development of spyware by China's I-Soon, which targets social networks, telecommunications companies and other organizations around the world. It is assumed that the Chinese government is behind these operations.
Right on GitHub, unknown people published secret documents allegedly belonging to the Chinese authorities, which describe in black and white internal information regarding the use of spyware developed by I-Soon. Taiwanese threat researcher Azaka Sekai says the documents demonstrate China's methods of conducting cyber-offensive operations.
Despite the apparent reliability and analysis by several independent researchers at once, there was no official confirmation of the authenticity of these documents at the time of publication of the news. I-Soon also did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Azaki Sekai, the leaked documents provide a detailed insight into the inner workings of Chinese organizations operating in cyberspace and sponsored by the local government.
The researcher claims that some of the software described in the documents is closely related to Elon Musk's X * platform and allows attackers to receive email and phone number of surveillance objects, conduct real-time monitoring, publish tweets on their behalf and read private messages.
Both Android and iOS mobile devices are supported. Spyware is capable of extracting highly sensitive information such as hardware data, GPS, contacts, media files, and audio recordings, all of which it can do covertly and in real time. In addition, there are versions for Windows/macOS.
The documentation also mentions Wi-Fi spy devices that resemble an external battery and can intercept data from Android smartphones via a wireless connection.
Among the victims of surveillance using proprietary software from I-Soon, the documents mention the Paris Institute for Political Studies Sciences Po, a large network of private hospitals Apollo Hospitals in India and a number of government agencies in neighboring countries with China.
The documents also reveal the salaries of employees involved in the development of spyware.: "Excluding senior executives, the average salary after tax is 7,600 yuan, which is equivalent to about one thousand US dollars. This is extremely small for the level of work that they are supposed to perform," the researcher said.
Documents leaked online reveal details about the development of spyware by China's I-Soon, which targets social networks, telecommunications companies and other organizations around the world. It is assumed that the Chinese government is behind these operations.
Right on GitHub, unknown people published secret documents allegedly belonging to the Chinese authorities, which describe in black and white internal information regarding the use of spyware developed by I-Soon. Taiwanese threat researcher Azaka Sekai says the documents demonstrate China's methods of conducting cyber-offensive operations.
Despite the apparent reliability and analysis by several independent researchers at once, there was no official confirmation of the authenticity of these documents at the time of publication of the news. I-Soon also did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Azaki Sekai, the leaked documents provide a detailed insight into the inner workings of Chinese organizations operating in cyberspace and sponsored by the local government.
The researcher claims that some of the software described in the documents is closely related to Elon Musk's X * platform and allows attackers to receive email and phone number of surveillance objects, conduct real-time monitoring, publish tweets on their behalf and read private messages.
Both Android and iOS mobile devices are supported. Spyware is capable of extracting highly sensitive information such as hardware data, GPS, contacts, media files, and audio recordings, all of which it can do covertly and in real time. In addition, there are versions for Windows/macOS.
The documentation also mentions Wi-Fi spy devices that resemble an external battery and can intercept data from Android smartphones via a wireless connection.
Among the victims of surveillance using proprietary software from I-Soon, the documents mention the Paris Institute for Political Studies Sciences Po, a large network of private hospitals Apollo Hospitals in India and a number of government agencies in neighboring countries with China.
The documents also reveal the salaries of employees involved in the development of spyware.: "Excluding senior executives, the average salary after tax is 7,600 yuan, which is equivalent to about one thousand US dollars. This is extremely small for the level of work that they are supposed to perform," the researcher said.
