Vietnam tried to hack U.S. officials, CNN with posts on X, probe finds

Vietnamese government agents attempted to plant spyware on the phones of American congresspeople, policy experts, and journalists in 2023. Vietnamese agents planned the infiltration to coincide with negotiations regarding Chinese influence in the region, as Vietnamese diplomats were interested in Washington’s views of China at the time. The agents used X (Twitter) to trick victims into visiting sites designed to install Predator, a phone hacking software believed to be developed by Intellexa (a company based out of several countries in Europe). It is believed that Predator can turn on the microphones and cameras of iOS and Android devices, in addition to retrieving files and messages. Documents uncovered in the journalists’ investigation indicated that Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security signed a deal with Intellexa for $6M in 2020 for “infection solutions”, likely a reference to acquiring licenses for Predator spyware. The incident highlights the lack of effective oversight and regulation in the commercial spyware industry, which is increasingly being used to target political figures and journalists.