WhatsApp spyware broker enters guilty plea

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Mexican business owner Carlos Guerrero has entered a guilty plea for selling interception and surveillance tools, including IMSI catchers and signal jammers, as well as tools enabling WhatsApp message hacking to customers in the U.S. and Mexico, TechCrunch reports. Guerrero allegedly brokered interception and surveillance tools sale to government customers in Mexico and private clients, according to prosecutors. Court documents also showed that Guerrero was a distributor for an unnamed Italian firm from 2014 to 2015 where he sold hacking tools and geolocation systems. Moreover, Guerrero also leveraged Elite by Carga, which he owns, to facilitate importation of hacking tools developed in various countries, including Israel. "Today’s guilty plea helps stem the proliferation of digital tools used for repression and advances the digital security of both U.S. and Mexican citizens. This office is committed to disrupting malicious cyber activities and mitigating unlawful surveillance," said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.