Security News > 2020 > December > iOS Spyware Emerges in Longstanding Extortion Campaign
An extortion campaign targeting Chinese, Korean, and Japanese speakers recently started using a new piece of spyware, mobile security firm Lookout reported on Wednesday.
The campaign is focused on infecting iOS and Android of illicit sites, such as those offering escort services, in order to steal personal information, likely with the intent to blackmail or extort victims.
Dubbed Goontact, the spyware typically masquerades as secure messaging applications.
The Goontact campaign is believed to have been active since at least 2013.
The iOS version of the spyware has evolved from mere theft of a victim's phone number and contact list to also including the ability to communicate to a secondary command and control server and display a crafted message to the victim.