"Exclusive: Senior Indonesian officials targeted by spyware last year" 30 September 2022

More than a dozen senior Indonesian government and military officials were targeted last year with spy software designed by an Israeli surveillance firm, according to nine people with knowledge of the matter.

Six of the individuals told Reuters they were targeted themselves. The targets included Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, senior military personnel, two regional diplomats, and advisers in Indonesia's defence and foreign affairs ministries, according to the people.

Six of the Indonesian officials and advisers targeted told Reuters they received an email message from Apple Inc in November 2021 telling them that Apple believed officials were being "targeted by state-sponsored attackers."

Apple has not disclosed the identities or number of users targeted. The company declined to comment for this story.

Apple and security researchers have said the recipients of the warnings were targeted using ForcedEntry, an advanced piece of software that has been used by Israeli cyber surveillance vendor NSO Group to help foreign spy agencies remotely and invisibly take control of iPhones. Another Israeli cyber firm, QuaDream, has developed a nearly identical hacking tool, Reuters has reported...

...In response to Reuters questions, an NSO spokesperson denied the company’s software was involved in the targeting of Indonesian officials, dismissing it as "contractually and technologically impossible," without specifying why. The company, which does not disclose the identity of its customers, says it sells its products only to "vetted and legitimate" government entities.

QuaDream did not respond to requests for comment...