Italy's Low-Cost Spyware Industry: Cheap Surveillance Software Market Grows with Official Demand (heise.de)

• Italian authorities deploy cheap spyware (Spyrtacus, Morpheus) for about 5,200 infections per year.
• Spyware distributed via SMS phishing with fake carrier updates; ISPs assist in deception.
• EDRi and civil society demand EU ban on commercial surveillance software.

"Italy has a thriving market for low-cost spyware used by law enforcement. Research by Osservatorio Nessuno and EDRi reveals trojans like Spyrtacus and Morpheus are deployed for a few euros per day, often with ISP assistance. In 2024, Italian prosecutors authorized approximately 5,200 Trojan infections. The EU is urged to ban commercial spyware."