Biden administration officials expressed shock as they revealed dozens of U.S. government employees are believed to have been targeted by commercial spyware.
Mobile phones belonging to at least 50 federal employees, some of whom held senior positions, were confirmed or were suspected to have been hit by hacking attacks in 10 foreign countries across multiple continents, government officials told reporters.
“We were astounded by the number,” said one senior official, The Washington Post reported on Monday. The tally, which is higher than previously known publicly, could rise as efforts to examine the vulnerability continue.
In conjunction with the disclosure, President Joe Biden unveiled an executive order that seeks to institute rules that restrict federal agencies’ “operational use” of commercial spyware that the White House said poses risks to national security or has been misused by foreign actors to enable human rights abuses.
Governments from around the world, including…
