Many governments buy and develop malware to officially have tools against criminals. That's the only reason government malware isn't “good” malware, says Bob Botezatu, director of threat research and reporting at Bitdefender.
“For years, cybersecurity companies and data protection officials have warned of the dangers of government intervention attempts and online surveillance solutions. The companies are currently pushing ahead with their digital transformation and the dangers of this so-called 'good malware' have never been as obvious as they are today. Unlike commercial malware, government malware is the product of highly skilled development teams, costs millions of dollars to develop, and often has previously unknown attack techniques.
Tools could be used against innocent parties
Government malware is not “good” malware, says Bogdan Botezatu, head of threat analysis at Bitdefender
Even though these solutions are sold to governments for "lawful wiretapping purposes," the lack of a legal and technical framework for digital surveillance tools can lead to these tools being used against innocent parties. The powerful malicious code is often used by repressive governments to spy on their citizens and to identify and punish dissidents.
When it comes to digital protection, cybersecurity providers do not differentiate between normal malware and digital threats used by governments. Bitdefender uses advanced detection technologies such as machine learning or behavioral monitoring to detect and block threats regardless of their source or reason for use. Because just like three years ago when the state Trojan passed the Bundestag, we continue to take the position: There is no such thing as good malware. Anyone who delves into the world of malware will quickly find themselves in a gray area of legality. Our mission as a provider of security solutions is to protect users from any malware, regardless of its source. "
More on this at Bitdefender.com
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