Devices from at least 50 U.S. government employees in 10 countries on multiple continents “are confirmed or suspected to have been targeted by commercial spyware,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on March 27.
That number could even be higher, the senior official added.
In response to the growing threat the technology presents, President Joe Biden on March 27 signed an executive order that prohibits U.S. federal agencies from using commercially developed spyware that poses risks to national security and threats of “foreign actors” to allow “human rights abuses” around the world, according to a White House statement.
The mandate will apply to all federal agencies and departments, including defense, intelligence, and law enforcement….