Federal prosecutors in the United States have indicted three individuals linked to Silicon Valley over the alleged theft of trade secrets. The case involves two former Google engineers, Samaneh Ghandali and Soroor Ghandali, along with Mohammadjavad Khosravi. The charges were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Authorities say sensitive company information was transferred without authorization.
According to the indictment, Samaneh Ghandali copied more than 300 internal files while working at Google. Investigators say these files contained confidential technical data related to advanced processor and security designs. Prosecutors allege the files were moved to third-party platforms and locations outside approved company systems. Some of the transfers were reportedly connected to channels tied to Iran.
The suspicious activity was detected in 2023 after Google identified unusual downloads and account behavior. An internal review led to a broader federal investigation. Officials state that trade secrets are protected under U.S. law because they involve valuable and sensitive innovation. The case highlights the importance of data security inside major technology companies.
The defendants are facing charges that include theft of trade secrets and obstruction-related counts. If convicted, they could face significant federal prison sentences. Prosecutors argue that exposing such confidential research could harm both corporate competitiveness and national security. The case is now moving forward through the U.S. court system.
In a separate cybersecurity development, researchers confirmed that a zero-click flaw in Apple’s Messages app was exploited to spy on journalists. The findings were published by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab in June 2025. The spyware involved is known as “Graphite” and is linked to a company called Paragon Solutions. The forensic evidence showed the spyware successfully infected iPhones.
The investigation confirmed that at least two journalists were targeted, including a prominent European journalist and Italian reporter Ciro Pellegrino. The attack used a zero-click vulnerability, meaning the victims did not need to tap or open anything. The malicious code could run silently in the background. This made the attack extremely difficult to detect at first.
Citizen Lab’s forensic analysis found technical traces proving that Graphite had operated on the affected devices. The spyware is described as “mercenary spyware,” meaning it is commercially developed and sold to government clients. Such tools are capable of accessing messages, calls, and other sensitive data. The case has raised serious concerns about digital surveillance and press freedom.
Apple later acknowledged the vulnerability and released security updates to patch the flaw. The issue was reported as actively exploited before it was fixed. Security experts emphasize the importance of installing updates immediately to stay protected. Together, these two cases show how both insider threats and advanced spyware remain serious cybersecurity challenges.
Stay alert, and keep your security measures updated!
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