zero days

We recently got a rare look at how a company tried to source these exploits through private one-on-one deals—because the company came to us.

Obtaining vulnerabilities for fully up-to-date mobile phones is getting harder. So companies that sell exploits to governments are increasingly looking for attacks that target internet routers instead, with one company paying up to $100,000.

Very few people have heard of them, but "dev-fused" iPhones sold on the grey market are one of the most important tools for the best iOS hackers in the world.

Companies that buy and sell exploits, or zero-days, are now willing to offer seven figures for hacks that allow spies and cops to steal WhatsApp, iMessage and other chat app messages.

A source managed to see Israeli surveillance vendor NSO Group’s powerful iPhone malware up close. Despite a wave of highly controversial customers, the company appears to be popular worldwide.

Dubai-based Crowdfense, which buys zero day exploits for iOS and a variety of other platforms, is trying to streamline the process of sourcing vulnerabilities.

Even though the Shadow Brokers told customers to use privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash, researchers may have found clues pointing to who tried to buy more of the group's wares.

Moscow-based Gleg provides zero-day exploits for medical software, and those in the medical industry are concerned about disclosure. But the exploits themselves may not be all that important in real world attacks.

A new startup in Dubai is offering six and seven figure payouts for zero-day exploits for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac.

Israel cast a wide net in Europe too, looking to purchase zero-days for its law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

In a peek into the way governments may source hacking tools, Motherboard obtained a 2015 letter the Israeli Ministry of Defense sent to US-based exploit developers.

Inside the secretive industry that helps government hackers get around encryption.