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The tech giant's Project Zero and Threat Analysis Group hacking teams uncovered and ultimately put an end to a counter-terrorism operation being run by a US ally, according to MIT Tech Review, which detailed the internal struggle at Google over whether to publicize the incident and what it implied for future cyber-espionage (apparently, all's fair in love, war, and malware attacks).
Both Project Zero, which uncovers and exposes security vulnerabilities, and Threat Analysis Group, which tracks hacks believed to be run by governments, helped take down the "friendly" malware attack, which weaponized 11 zero-day vulnerabilities in the course of nine months. A zero-day vulnerability is a flaw that the software's creator and user are unaware exists, a security issue that can be used as a backdoor and otherwise exploited until it is discovered.
Cropping up 11 times in nine months - more frequently than a typical zero-day exploit - the attack targeted devices powered by iOS, Android, and Windows. The exploits were innovative (MIT described them as "never-before-seen techniques") and used infected websites as "watering holes" to deliver malware to unfortunate visitors. The infection process had been ongoing since early 2020.
Comment: A 'dashed off over-generalization' about a race of people is typically called 'racist'. Scratch the surface of critical race theory, and what is easily revealed is neoracism. USA Today's mistake wasn't in being too forgiving of Jhaveri's racism. Its mistake was in creating a position in the first place that presupposes a racist ideology.