Google warns of new SPYWARE used to hack smartphones 

Google has warned of spyware being used by foreign governments to hack into Apple and Android phones and snoop on users’ activities. 

The offending ‘spyware’ – software that steals information from a device – was created by Milan-based company RCS Lab, Google and security firm Lookout have revealed. 

RCS Lab spyware has allegedly been used by the Italian and Kazakhstani governments to spy on private messages and contacts stored on their citizens’ smartphones. 

However, the spyware is potentially capable of spying on a victim’s browser, camera, address book, clipboard and chat apps too. 

RCS Lab is an example of a ‘lawful intercept’ company that claims to only sell to customers with legitimate use for surveillance, such as intelligence and law enforcement agencies. 

But in…