Yet in a more recent attack, perpetrators used a malicious third-party application to gain access to the accounts of their targets.53 Such a shift illustrates the attackers’ ability to adapt as most of their targets among civil society activists have started using two-factor authentication (an additional security hurdle for email accounts that this iteration of the campaign was able to circumvent).54 Further investigations uncovered that the threat actors behind the operation had even developed new mobile applications to deliver malware and infiltrate the phones of their victims, targeting a number of well-known activists and journalists, including Egyptians living in Canada, Britain, and the United States.55 Accordingly, assessing the actual technical capabilities of regimes and devising appropriate security measures is a difficult task for potential targets of digital threats within activist communities. The exact set-ups of targeted and mass surveillance campaigns are often understood by only a small cadre of forensic experts. Activist risk perceptions are therefore often shaped by reports of successful attacks and sophisticated, complex tools of surveillance. As a result, potential targets can easily feel overwhelmed by the projection of unstoppable powerful state actors capable of breaking down all levels of protection. Given this, it is essential to build networks of constant support in digital security and provide civil society with accurate and accessible information detailing the true evolution of state-operated threats. 53 Amnesty International (2019, March 6). Phishing attacks using third-party applications against Egyptian civil society organizations. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2019/03/ phishing-attacks-using-third-party-applications-against-egyptian-civil-society-organizations. 54 Guarnieri, C. (2019, March 8). Phishing attacks using third-party applications against Egyptian civil society organizations. https:// nex.sx/blog/2019/03/08/phishing-attacks-against-egyptian-civil-society.html. 55 Bergman, R., & Walsh, D. (2019, October 3). Egypt is using Apps to track and target its citizens, report says. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/03/world/middleeast/egypt-cyber-attack-phones.html. 16