Spyware used by governments poses as Firefox, and Mozilla is angry
 

Full story http://arstechnica.com/information-t...All+content%29

"Mozilla has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a company that sells spyware allegedly disguised as the Firefox browser to governments. The action follows a report by Citizen Lab, which identifies 36 countries (including the US) hosting command and control servers for FinFisher, a type of surveillance software. Also known as FinSpy, the software is sold by UK-based Gamma International to governments, which use it in criminal investigations and allegedly for spying on dissidents.


Mozilla revealed yesterday in its blog that it has sent the cease and desist letter to Gamma "demanding that these illegal practices stop immediately." Gamma's software is "designed to trick people into thinking it's Mozilla Firefox," Mozilla noted. (Mozilla declined to provide a copy of the cease and desist letter to Ars.)

The spyware doesn't infect Firefox itself, so a victim's browser isn't at risk. But the spyware "uses our brand and trademarks to lie and mislead as one of its methods for avoiding detection and deletion" and is "used by Gamma?s customers to violate citizens? human rights and online privacy," Mozilla said.

Full story here http://arstechnica.com/information-t...All+content%29

Gamma?!?!?

Method of infection

The surveillance suite is installed after the target accepts installation of a fake update to commonly used software.[5] Code which will install the malware has also been detected in emails.[13] The software, which is designed to evade detection by anti-virus software, has versions which work on mobile phones of all major brands.[1]

A security flaw in Apple's iTunes allowed unauthorized third parties to use iTunes online update procedures to install unauthorized programs.[6][7] Gamma International offered presentations to government security officials at security software trade shows where they described to security officials how to covertly install the FinFisher spy software on suspect's computers using iTunes' update procedures.

The security flaw in iTunes that FinFisher is reported to have exploited was first described in 2008 by security software commentator Brian Krebs.[6][7][14] Apple did not patch the security flaw for more than three years, until November 2011. Apple officials have not offered an explanation as to why the flaw took so long to patch. Promotional videos used by the firm at trade shows which illustrate how to infect a computer with the surveillance suite were released by Wikileaks in December, 2011.[3]