Google: Govs Drive Sharp Growth of Commercial Spyware Cos

Google's report describes a global surge in commercial spyware vendors (CSVs) that sell sophisticated mobile spyware, exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, and provide end-to-end surveillance services to governments. The report documents CSVs' outsized role in zero-day exploitation (35 of 72 zero-days mid-2014–end-2023 and 20 of 25 exploited last year), examples of misuse against journalists and activists, and vendor offerings (e.g., Intellexa/Predator) including pricing and persistence guarantees, warning of broad risks to privacy and the security of the Internet ecosystem.