VOA新闻杂志2022--沙特维权人士关注间谍软件

Saudi Rights Activist¹ Brings Attention to Spyware

A Saudi Arabian women's rights activist has brought attention to computer programs known as spyware.

These programs record activity on electronic devices and give those records to users of the software.

Activist Loujain al-Hathloul got help from computer experts who studied her iPhone. They reported finding evidence that the software of an Israeli security company, the NSO Group, was on al-Hathloul's phone.

Now, the U.S. government is investigating how the NSO Group's software was able to get on the phones of government officials and activists² around the world.

How spyware was discovered

The activist discovered a mysterious kind of image file on her phone last year. Researchers believe it was left behind by the spyware. The discovery led to a lot of evidence suggesting the Israeli spyware maker³ was involved in hacking⁵ her phone.

The evidence started a series of legal and government actions against NSO. Reuters news agency was the first to report on how the hack⁴ was discovered.

Al-Hathloul is one of Saudi Arabia's most famous activists. She is known for helping⁶ lead a campaign to end the ban on women drivers in the country. She was found guilty of harming national security and jailed in 2020. She was released from jail in February 2021.

Soon after her release, the activist received an email from Google warning her that state-supported hackers⁷ had tried to get into her Gmail account. She became fearful that her iPhone had been hacked⁸ as well. Al-Hathloul then contacted the Canadian research group Citizen Lab. She asked them to search her device for evidence.

After six months of looking through her iPhone records, Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak made a discovery. The software aimed at spying on her phone which was stealing her messages had left a copy. It did not remove itself.

Marczak said the computer code left by the attack provided direct evidence that NSO built the spying tool.

"It was a game changer," said Marczak. "We caught something that the company thought was uncatchable."

Citizen Lab and al-Hathloul's discovery was used in the legal case that Apple Inc., the maker of the phone, brought against NSO in November 2021. Apple says it is seeking to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services or devices.

The incident also created anger in Washington as U.S. officials learned that NSO's software was used to spy on American diplomats⁹.

Over the past year, many reporters and activists have tied the spyware industry to human rights violations¹⁰. These include the international journalism¹¹ collaboration¹² Pegasus Project. Al-Hathloul's case brought more attention to NSO and similar companies.

Security researchers said al-Hathloul's discovery was the first to show how the software works without any action by the phone user.

In a statement, an NSO spokesperson said the company does not operate the hacking tools it sells: "Government, law enforcement and intelligence agencies do."

Without going into detail, the company said it had developed ways to investigate misuses¹⁴ of its products. It said it had cut off some users over human rights issues.

NSO also said its tools have helped law enforcement and have saved "thousands of lives." The company said some of the charges about NSO software were not believable, without giving details.

Apple fixes problem and sues NSO

Last September Citizen Lab explained to Apple how the attack took place. That permitted Apple to fix the weakness in its system and led the company to warn thousands of other iPhone users who were targeted by NSO software. Apple said the users had been victims of "state-sponsored attackers." It was the first time Apple had taken this step.

Reuters reported earlier this month that a second Israeli company, QuaDream used the same iPhone weakness.

Apple's legal action against NSO claims the company broke U.S. laws by building products designed "to target, attack, and harm Apple users, Apple products, and Apple."

People who were not identified but knew about the matter spoke¹³ to Reuters. They said at least nine U.S. State Department employees in Uganda were among those targeted with NSO software. This caused even more criticism of the company in Washington.

In November, the U.S. Commerce Department placed NSO on a trade blacklist. The department restricted American companies from selling the Israeli company's software products.

In December, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and 17 other lawmakers called for the Treasury¹⁵ Department to place restrictions¹⁶ on NSO Group and three other companies. The lawmakers say the spyware helped governments carry out human rights abuses.

Lina al-Hathloul, Loujain's sister, said the financial damage to NSO might be the only thing that can control the spyware industry. "It hit them where it hurts," she said.

Words in This Story

spyware – n. computer software that secretly records information about the way you use your mobile device or computer

hack – v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information, cause damage, etc.

code –n. a set of instructions for a computer

game changer –expression something that changes an existing situation in an important way

blacklist – n. a list of banned organizations or people

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

5 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 hackers   

n.计算机迷( hacker的名词复数 )；私自存取或篡改电脑资料者，电脑“黑客”

参考例句：

• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Arranging a meeting with the hackers took weeks againoff-again email exchanges. 通过几星期电子邮件往来安排见面，他们最终同意了。 来自互联网

8 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

9 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

12 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 misuses   

n.用错，滥用( misuse的名词复数 )；误用者v.使用…不当( misuse的第三人称单数 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misuses his horses by giving them loads that are too heavy. 他给它们过重的负荷来虐待他的马。 来自互联网
• He often misuses his authority to tyrannize his underlings. 他常用手中的职权凌轹下属。 来自互联网

15 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

16 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制