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Internet browser may block UAE firm over espionage fears

March 6, 2019 at 11:48 am

Firefox browser displayed on a laptop [janb97/Flickr]

Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox internet browser, may block UAE cybersecurity firm DarkMatter over fears of it being involved in an espionage programme, Reuters revealed on Tuesday. Reports by Reuters in January said that DarkMatter had provided staff for a secret hacking operation codenamed Project Raven on behalf of the UAE state intelligence agency.

According to the international news agency, two Mozilla executives said last week that Reuters’ report raised concerns about whether DarkMatter would abuse the authority to certify websites as safe. The internet company has apparently not yet come to a decision on whether to deny the authority to DarkMatter, but expects to do so within weeks.

“We don’t currently have technical evidence of misuse [by DarkMatter] but the reporting is strong evidence that misuse is likely to occur in the future if it hasn’t already,” Selena Deckelmann, Mozilla’s senior director of engineering, told Reuters. She added that Mozilla is also considering stripping some or all of the more than 400 certifications that DarkMatter has granted to websites under a limited authority since 2017.

Former Raven operatives told Reuters that many DarkMatter executives were unaware of the secretive programme, which operated from a converted Abu Dhabi mansion away from DarkMatter’s headquarters. The news agency also found that those operations included hacking into the internet accounts of human rights activists, journalists and officials from rival governments.

DarkMatter, Reuters pointed out, has denied conducting illicit operations and says it focuses on protecting computer networks.

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