A malware called Subzero was found by Microsoft’s security team earlier this week, which was developed by Vienna-based company DSIRF, and was deployed in 2021 and 2022. An investigation was going on where they were investigating a report they issued that an Austrain company has developed spyware targeting banks, law firms, and consultancies in at least three countries, Austria said.

Observed victims, according to a blog post published on Wednesday, “include law firms, banks, and strategic consultancies in countries including Austria, the United Kingdom, and Panama.”.

There were no complaints of issues, according to Austria’s interior minister. “Naturally, the DSN (intelligence agency) looks into the allegations. There is currently no proof that the identified company’s monitoring software has been used.” It was said in a statement. Subzero “was designed exclusively for use by authorities in EU states,” according to DSIRF, which was reported by Austria’s Kurier newspaper. It was not a commercial product. No harm had been done to it.

Although it was aware of the company, the Austrian interior ministry claimed that it “had not had any economic connections” with it. The Pegasus spyware developed by Israel’s NSO Group has allegedly been used by governments around the world, including those in the EU, to spy on rivals, according to a number of media outlets over the course of the past year.

Budapest and Warsaw countered that the deployment of Pegasus was justified by reasonable considerations of national security.

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On Saturday, after Microsoft alleges an Austrian spy firm of making malicious software that was detected on the computer systems of some of its clients in at least three countries, the firm says that its hacking tool “Subzero” was for official use in the European Union (EU) states only.

Microsoft on Wednesday believes that the firm, DSIRF, had deployed the spying software, or spyware – capable of accessing personal information such as passwords or logon credentials – at an unspecified number of unidentified banks, law firms, and strategic consultancies.

DSIRF in an emailed statement states that Subzero is a software of the Austrian DSIRF GesmbH, which has been created only for official use in EU states. It is neither provided, sold nor made available for commercial use.

“In view of the facts described by Microsoft, DSIRF resolutely rejects the impression that it has misused Subzero software,” it further adds.

It was not unclear which EU member state governments if any, were using the spying tool. DSIRF has not responded to requests for further comment.

On Friday, Austria’s interior ministry told APA, that it was investigating the Microsoft claims. The ministry did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

Spyware tools have come into more focus in Europe and the United States after Pegasus, spyware developed by Israel’s NSO was discovered to have been used by governments to spy on journalists and dissidents.

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