Spanish spyware startup Variston has been shut down, according to reports.
The Barcelona-based company came to prominence in 2022, when researchers at Google determined Variston was behind a malicious batch of code, which had been used to hack Chrome and Firefox browser users.
In 2024, TechCrunch reported that Variston was struggling to retain staff, with one former employee saying the Google report provoked a “huge crisis” internally. Subsequent reports suggested Variston’s hacking tools had been used to spy on iPhone users in Indonesia.
The highly secretive company is said to have forbidden employees from sharing where they worked on Linkedin or attending cybersecurity conferences, sources TechCrunch.
Now Intelligence Online, a trade publication focused on surveillance and intelligence, reports that Variston has been officially shut down.
Sifted approached company representatives for comment.
