"Google Urges Tighter Regulation to Combat Dominance of Spyware Industry"
Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) found that 80% of the zero-day vulnerabilities it discovered in 2023 were linked to commercial spyware vendors (CSVs) who target journalists, activists, and political figures on behalf of customers, including governments and private organizations. These vendors, such as Cy4Gate, RCS Lab, Intellexa, Negg Group, NSO Group, and Variston, sell licenses for millions of dollars to infect Android or iOS devices using undocumented exploits. Google is calling for more collaboration among governments, stricter guidelines for surveillance technology, and diplomatic efforts to combat the proliferation of spyware, while also proactively countering spyware threats through various solutions.