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Angolan Journalist's Phone Hacked by Intellexa Spyware
18 Feb
Summary
- Prominent Angolan journalist Teixeira Candido's phone was infected with Predator spyware.
- The infection occurred in May 2024 after clicking a malicious link.
- This marks the first confirmed use of Predator spyware in Angola.
In May 2024, the phone of Teixeira Candido, a prominent Angolan journalist, was infected with Predator surveillance software from spyware vendor Intellexa. Candido, then head of the Syndicate of Angolan Journalists, was targeted via WhatsApp messages starting in April 2024.
Clicking a link on May 4, 2024, triggered the Predator infection, granting unknown entities complete access to his device's contents. Amnesty International confirmed this as the first documented instance of Predator spyware use in Angola, a tool previously linked to privacy abuses.
The U.S. government had previously sanctioned seven individuals associated with the Intellexa Consortium in March 2024 for developing invasive spyware used against various targets. Candido expressed feeling exposed and unsure of what data was accessed, noting the attackers used a deceptive approach to gain his trust.
