A notorious commercial spyware developer has spent millions of dollars lobbying the US government to be removed from a trade blacklist, according to a new report.
NSO Group is an Israeli company behind the Pegasus spyware that is the subject of lawsuits from WhatsApp and Apple.
Delivered via a zero-click exploit, the spyware has allegedly been used by authoritarian regimes to spy on tens of thousands of targets, including dissidents, human rights activists, journalists and even heads of state.
For more information on commercial spyware, see New zero-click iOS exploit deploys Israeli spyware.
In 2021, the NSO Group was added to a US export blacklist designed to prevent it from purchasing parts from US companies.
But the company has secretly tried to influence the thinking of the U.S. government over the past few years, a new report has revealed. open secret.
The report, based on foreign agent registration law disclosures filed with the Justice Department, found that NSO Group has paid more than $2.9 million to foreign agents for lobbying in the United States since 2020. clarified.
This includes $1.1 million in spending on PR firms and law firms in 2022, more than the Israeli government spent on US lobbying during the same period, the report said. claim.
NSO Group has always denied that its malware is being used to violate human rights and claims it sells its products for legitimate law enforcement purposes only.
Meta’s WhatsApp took NSO Group to court in 2019 for allegedly helping an Israeli company develop and deploy malware used to target users. The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to proceed with the case earlier this year.
Apple followed suit in 2021 with legal action to “prevent further abuse and harm” against users of its products. The tech giant said at the time that it would seek a permanent injunction barring NSO Group from using its products and services.
The White House is growing hostile to commercial spyware makers. A new executive order in March barred the U.S. government from using tools that foreign countries have abused to spy on their citizens, dissidents and activists, as well as those that pose counterintelligence and security risks.
The tech industry has also announced new initiatives aimed at combating what it calls “cybermercenaries.”
Editorial image credit: T. Schneider / Shutterstock.com
