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Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

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Re: Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

#31

Post by einpoklum »

DocTomoe wrote: post #19
zeepzeep wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Malware isn't bad, like guns, it depends on the one using it. There are legit uses, e.g. governments or simulations of real attacks.

Quoted post unavailable.

> I trust Google with my data

That's not true. That is, you know that Google is using your data themselves for psychological exploitation in marketing, and also passing it on / making it accessible to US intelligence agencies. So, what you're actually saying is that you don't care about the misuse of your data.

Re: Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

#32

Post by vaylian »

spacemanmatt wrote: post #4

why do we even tolerate malware companies

1) Because most people are blissfully unaware of these companies

2) Because a large portion of people who are not in 1) support it, because they believe it is used to spy on the bad guys™ and never consider that these tools have already been abused in the past and will be abused in the future.

Re: Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

#34

Post by GameOfFrowns »

sva_ wrote: post #3

It appears like they're just going through a "rebranding" https://mobile.twitter.com/Pingu/status/1469314222349852675 Quote from the OP article: > the public prosecutor's office wanted to secure the assets potentially obtained from an unlawful act by means of an asset freeze in order to be able to confiscate them if necessary. The group of companies escaped seizure through insolvency So you know what's going on.

>It appears like they're just going through a "rebranding"

IIRC the new company name, Vilic(i)us, describes the position of a "slave overseer" of Roman times. Unfortunately, I cannot find the wikipedia entry for it anymore (possible clean-up job of the new company?).

Edit:

Found it... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilicus

Re: Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

#35

Post by someotherperson »

pelasaco wrote: post #28
someotherperson wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do we actually have any cases of governments using malware for good? Guns aren't a great comparison because the use can (and usually is) wholly defensive or acts as a deterrent -- i.e if you are known to be armed then you'd be left alone. Malware on the other hand is almost exclusively offensive and governments around the world almost exclusively use it for nefarious reasons (i.e NSO Group's clientele and published u…

Well looks like it play a role in the defense strategy from the Ukraine https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/us/politics/pegasus-israe... So maybe until now we didn't see a country with cyber in their strategy being invaded by another?

Ukraine hasn't acquired NSO Group's software (based on your article) and ultimately it's a seriously corrupt country -- the most corrupt in Europe -- and globally ranks below El Salvador, Brazil, Turkey and even Cuba. Just because it's currently facing an invasion doesn't mean the malware won't be used for nefarious purposes: i.e Ukrainian elites targeting other Ukrainians or the sitting Ukrainian government targeting opposition political parties. During conflicts we often see governments and elites from those countries trying to siphon as much as they can.

Just to drive the point: at the same time that they first requested the software (2014) the country was the biggest arms dealer for the Syrian civil war[0]. A large part of the arms they received after what happened in Crimea ended up making its way to countries like Syria[1] and it's likely a driving reason behind why the country was so ill-equipped with the current conflict. There is little doubt that the physical arms will eventually be sold off after this conflict is over, and with malware that can be copied quite easily it's likely it will be sold the moment it's acquired to any bidder that puts their hand up.

[0] https://qz.com/211603/how-ukrainian-arms-dealing-connects-to...

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-arms-insig...

Re: Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

#37

Post by tom899 »

They will continue under a new name and description. The success to this day is not remarkable. That software has not stopped criminals like Olaf Scholz and his buddies, nor has it protect a mayor of a city that was killed in his own house. So, its useless and unethical to think to automate prosecution. Too many false-positives and a bad success rate is not and can not be the goal to break basic rights. The real criminals are not the weed dealers next door and not the dumb neo-fascists, they gather everyday in the parlaments with their shady double income, their wrongdoings and promises broken every day. For what that software has brough revenue, the victims of the flood this summer, would enjoy golden handrails and faucets in their newly built homes.

Re: Stage win: FinFisher is bankrupt

#38

Post by m12k »

DocTomoe wrote: post #19
zeepzeep wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Malware isn't bad, like guns, it depends on the one using it. There are legit uses, e.g. governments or simulations of real attacks.

Quoted post unavailable.

> On a related note: I trust Google with my data more happily than I trust the German state, for only one of those two has a history of building concentration camps.

To be fair, the German state has existed quite a lot longer than Google, so they've also had more time to build them - I think it's too early to rule out Google in that race.

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