Google has said an Italian company has utilized hacking tools to spy on Apple and Android mobile users in Italy and Kazakhstan.
According to the Google report, a Milan-based RCS Lab used a "combination of tactics, including drive-by downloads" to spy on private messages and contacts of the targeted users.
The Alphabet Inc. subsidiary revealed that RCS Lab has previously worked with an Italian spy firm Hacking Team, which is known for developing surveillance software for foreign nations to tap into smartphones and computers.
Google has issued a warning for Android and iOS users on the spyware attack that appears to be spreading twice as fast each minute.
The researchers at the tech giant explained that users are sent messages regarding their data connectivity with links and asked to download an application. Once the user clicks on the link, they are redirected to another page where they are manipulated into installing a Malware, Wion reported.
In order to achieve their goal, the researchers added, the threat actors also sometimes disable the target user's mobile data connectivity so that they can be easily fooled.
Defending its operations, the RCS Lab continues to describe itself as a creator of "lawful interception" technologies. In its official website, the spyware company has mentioned that one of its services include "tracking systems."
Denying all allegations against its activities, RCS Labs has stated that all of the operations are performed in accordance with the EU regulations.
According to Business Today, the Italian spyware vendor is believed to have operated in the same market as Israel's NSO Pegasus spyware that attacked activists and journalists.
RCS Lab has been active for more than three decades and has associated with military and intelligence agencies in Pakistan, Chile, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar as well as Turkmenistan.
