Gordon Brown claims malware used in NOTW hacking

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Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown claimed yesterday the News of the World not only hacked phones, but used malware to steal information too.

During a House of Commons debate, Brown said the News of the World had committed “new crimes with new names,” including using “Trojans to break into computers and not just phones.”

“It was not the misconduct of a few rogues or a few freelancers but, I have to say, lawbreaking often on an industrial scale - at its worst dependent on links with the British criminal underworld,” Brown claimed.

“Amassed against these guiltless victims and against a succession of other victims of crime, whose names I know about and have seen and have yet to be made public, was the systematic use of base and unlawful methods.”

Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed the criminal investigation into the News of the World phone hacking was fully underway, with a different team to the one which carried out the original investigation.

The police probe is being led by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, whose team is looking through 11,000 pages containing 3,870 names, and around 4,000 mobile and 5,000 landline phone numbers, Cameron said. There was no mention of investigations into computer hacking.

Eight arrests have been made so far, with “numerous interviews” undertaken as well.

“Clearly there are two pieces of work that have to be done. First, we need a full investigation into wrongdoing in the press and the police, including the failure of the first police investigation,” the Prime Minister added.

“Secondly, we need a review of regulation of the press. We would like to get on with both those elements as quickly as possible, while being mindful of the ongoing criminal investigations.”

A single inquiry into the hacking scandal will consist of two strands, Cameron confirmed.

Lord Justice Leveson will lead that inquiry, reporting to both the Home Secretary, Theresa May, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt.

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