Israeli spyware vendor QuaDream is reportedly shutting down its operations in the coming days, following the exposure of its hacking toolset by Citizen Lab and Microsoft. This development highlights the growing scrutiny of spyware companies and their potential misuse of technology.
QuaDream’s troubles and impending shutdown
Sources claim that QuaDream has been facing difficulties for several months and hasn’t been fully active for some time. The company’s board of directors is now looking to sell off its intellectual property, according to a report by Israeli business newspaper Calcalist.
The news comes after QuaDream’s spyware framework, called REIGN, was revealed to have been used against various targets, including journalists, political opposition figures, and NGO workers across multiple regions. Microsoft described REIGN as a “suite of exploits, malware, and infrastructure designed to exfiltrate data from mobile devices.”
Sophisticated surveillance tactics
The attacks leveraged a now-patched iOS flaw, deploying advanced surveillanceware in the process. This surveillanceware was capable of secretly gathering sensitive information, such as audio, pictures, passwords, files, and locations. Apple commented last week that no evidence suggested the exploit, codenamed ENDOFDAYS, had been in use. This statement referred to the period since the release of iOS 14.4.2 in March 2021.
Like its Israeli counterparts NSO Group and Candiru, QuaDream operates as a private-sector offensive actor (PSOA). The company provides end-to-end hacking tools, enabling customers to run operations. Although QuaDream has mostly stayed under the radar, it has been associated with selling spyware technology to Saudi Arabia for zero-click attacks on specific targets.
In 2021, Reuters revealed that QuaDream independently developed an exploit to infiltrate iPhones. This exploit was comparable to one provided by the NSO Group. It worked by taking advantage of a flaw in iMessage. Apple addressed this vulnerability in September 2021.
The impending shutdown of QuaDream highlights the increased scrutiny faced by spyware companies and the potential misuse of their technology. As awareness of these companies’ activities grows, so too does the pressure to hold them accountable for their actions.
