Meta executive targeted by 'Predator' spyware, report

It remains unclear as to why Seaford was targeted for surveillance

A former security policy manager at Meta was subjected to surveillance by the Greek national intelligence service for a year, using commercially available spyware called "Predator".

Artemis Seaford, who served as a trust and safety manager in Meta's Security Team from 2020 until late 2022, had her phone infected with malware in September 2021, the New York Times reported on Monday.

Seaford, who holds both Greek and US citizenship, is believed to be the first American to have been surveilled in Europe using commercially available spyware - or at least the first known case.

Seaford only became aware that she had been spied on when her name featured on a list of spyware targets in the Greek media in November last year.

Following this, Seaford approached Citizen Lab, a digital research unit associated with the University of Toronto, which verified that her phone had been infected with malware.

The NYT reports that Seaford was subjected to surveillance by the Greek national intelligence service between the time her phone was bugged with malware and when she discovered that her phone had been infected with malicious software.

"The evidence suggests that my hacking with Predator was based on private information most likely obtained through state intelligence wiretapping," Seaford tweeted on Monday.

"I made a Covid vaccine appointment and immediately got sms confirmation from the state, followed by some helpful nudges to show up by the same official service. Day before the jab, I get a link to confirm my appointment, and boom... I am now infected."

The commercially available spyware known as Predator was developed by a secretive cyber firm called Cytrox, which is believed to be located in North Macedonia.

In 2021, Cytrox was one of several surveillance-for-hire firms that Meta banned from its platforms after it was discovered to be conducting surveillance on as many as 50,000 of Meta's users.

Predator spyware is currently being used by several authoritarian regimes worldwide.

In 2022, during what became known as the "Greek Watergate" scandal, the Greek government was accused of conducting surveillance on numerous citizens, including politicians, activists, journalists and business owners.

It remains unclear as to why Seaford was targeted for surveillance. She has since taken legal action by filing a lawsuit against the unknown individuals or entities behind the surveillance, with the hope of shedding light on the matter and advancing an investigation.

In addition to the lawsuit, Seaford has lodged a formal request with the Greek Authority for the Protection of the Privacy of Telecommunications, an independent watchdog, to investigate whether the Greek national intelligence service wiretapped her phone.

The Greek government has denied using Predator spyware to conduct surveillance.

In a statement to the NYT, government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said that the Greek authorities and security agencies have never bought or deployed the Predator surveillance software.

"To suggest otherwise is wrong," Oikonomou said, adding that "the alleged use of this software by nongovernmental parties is under ongoing judicial investigation."

European Union lawmakers have initiated their own investigation into the use of commercial spyware.

Seaford hopes that her story may inspire other victims of spyware abuse to come forward.

"Like myself, many others who appear to have been targeted by Predator are ordinary citizens with no reasonable claim to being a 'national security threat'," Seaford wrote on Twitter.

"We deserve better. Ultimately, we need our governments and EU bodies to protect us."