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Russian Spy Agency Says Foreign Spies Turned Officials' Smartphones Into Surveillance Devices (theregister.com)

(Tuesday June 02, 2026 @05:00PM (BeauHD) from the large-scale-snooping dept.)


Russia's FSB [1]claims foreign intelligence services [2]compromised smartphones belonging to senior Russian officials , allegedly turning them into surveillance devices capable of stealing data, recording conversations, and activating microphones or cameras. "This software is used to steal existing data, eavesdrop on ongoing conversations, and conduct covert acoustic and video monitoring of the environment near electronic devices, all aimed at obtaining sensitive information," the FSB said. The Register reports:

> The agency said it had opened a criminal investigation into illegal access to computer information and the distribution of malicious software. It did not identify the alleged intelligence service responsible, disclose how many officials were affected, name the malware involved, or provide any technical indicators that would allow independent verification of the claims. As things stand, the FSB has revealed the accusation but not the proof.



[1] http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/press/message/single.htm!id=10440695@fsbMessage.html

[2] https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/06/02/russian-spy-agency-says-foreign-spies-turned-officials-smartphones-into-surveillance-devices/5250099



piggy backing? (Score:2)

by algaeman ( 600564 )

Did they just add an additional endpoint to the collection gathering the FSB had already installed on the phones?

so you're saying . . . (Score:3)

by kencurry ( 471519 )

Same as a regular mobile phone.

Is it wrong? (Score:2, Funny)

by mackil ( 668039 )

Is it wrong to feel okay with Russia complaining about hacking for a change?

You know what they say (Score:2, Funny)

by CEC-P ( 10248912 )

Those in glass houses should

Dang it, it erased the Russian characters. Anyway, it said fuck off lol.

Are normal russian phones NOT spy devices? (Score:3)

by gurps_npc ( 621217 )

Because all western smart phones are spy devices.

I would be shocked, shocked to hear that russian phones were not already spy devices.

Re: (Score:2)

by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) *

They forked SailfishOS to create a domestic OS to avoid these kinds of problems.

Russian linux devs still contribute to that tree though Linus banned their ethnicity from his tree.

Since we're all speculating, probably their phone is clunky and some Generals kept their iPhones against advice or orders because they're more featureful and convenient.

We'll hear eventually.

Person Of Interest (TV Show) (Score:2)

by Archangel Michael ( 180766 )

We are living out the TV show. Everything in that show is coming true (if it wasn't already).

If you haven't seen it, it is very entertaining, and now almost seemingly prophetic.

USA or China (Score:2)

by Bruce66423 ( 1678196 )

We'll never know. The interesting question is whether the Russians will ever know...

If a camel is a horse designed by a committee, then a consensus forecast is a
camel's behind.
-- Edgar R. Fiedler