Israeli authorities investigate NSO Group over Pegasus spyware abuse claims
- Reference: 1627542013
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/07/29/israel_probes_nso_group/
- Source link:
A Ministry [1]tweet delivered the news in Hebrew, and online translate-o-tronic services render the text as follows:
Representatives from a number of bodies came to the NSO company today to examine the publications and allegations raised in its case.
The allegations were raised by Amnesty International and a consortium of newspapers that gained access to a 50,000-entry list of mobile phone numbers claimed to have been touched by NSO's Pegasus product – spyware that makes a smartphone an open book. Amnesty and its partners used the list to make the point that pervasive surveillance of activists, lawyers, and even world leaders has become ubiquitous. The human rights group decried Pegasus's chilling effect on dissent, and even linked its use to the murder of two journalists.
NSO Group said the document was not a list of Pegasus targets, and that it does not authorise use of the software other than for matters of national security.
[2]Microsoft, Google, Citizen Lab blow lid off zero-day bug-exploiting spyware sold to governments
[3]NSO Group 'will no longer be responding to inquiries' about misuse of its software
[4]Ecuador shreds Julian Assange's citizenship
Amnesty [5]stood by its analysis that the list is genuine, and demonstrates that Pegasus is far more widely used than NSO Group states. It concluded that NSO Group is either complicit or indifferent to that misuse.
NSO stopped answering questions, and the use of Pegasus became a political issue in many nations.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense hasn't said why it decided to investigate NSO group, which bodies visited the company, or what exactly it was looking for. Nor is it clear that the Ministry feels NSO has run afoul of any law.
[6]
Israel does, however, possess a fast-growing tech services export sector and a reputation for producing excellent security products. If NSO has done anything to besmirch the sector's reputation, Israel has a clear interest in defending its economic interests.
[7]
NSO Group CEO Shalev Hulio has [8]reportedly welcomed the Ministry visit because he believes it will vindicate his stance that the company has done nothing wrong, and the claims made against it will not withstand scrutiny. ®
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[1] https://twitter.com/MoDIsrael/status/1420420281299050504
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/16/microsoft_candiru_malware/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/22/nso_group_denies_everything_stops_answering_questions/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/28/ecuador_shreds_julian_assanges_citizenship/
[5] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/07/amnesty-categorically-pegasus-project-data-linked-to-nso/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YQJ8NpCeJW0mXzoPBVE9GgAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YQJ8NpCeJW0mXzoPBVE9GgAAAFI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/28/1030244/israel-investigation-nso-group-pegasus-spyware/
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: NSO caught with its pants down
And if other nations determine that NSOG is guilty then those nations will put pressure on Israel. If Israel refuses to acknowledge those concerns then they could find themselves the target of U.N. sanctions. They can defend NSOG if they want, but doing so may leave them in a position where the rest of the world says "Wrong answer. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, go directly to Jail." It will be a proverbial jail, but Israel may find itself just as trapped as if it were real.
Re: NSO caught with its pants down
Erm... you didn't mark your post as sarcasm.
Both the US and the UK would veto any attempt to sanction Israel.
Why target the NSO?
Amnesty have a well documented obsession with Israel.
Will they now go after other bad actors in the UK, US, China, Russia?
Methinks not, its so much easier to go after a soft target.
Maybe the Israeli MoD are concerned that NSO ware has been used to target them - or are there revelations to come regarding Israeli use against the US and EU countries?
If NSO spyware is any good ...
> Representatives from a number of bodies came to the NSO company today
They would have known about this visit weeks ago.
"[NSO] does not authorise use of the software other than for matters of national security"
Well whoop-dee-doo. As if that mattered when you're selling spyware to governments.
Besides, you're not the one deciding what is a matter of national security. By your own definition, there are no governments using your software illegally - all they need to do is define each usage as a matter of national security.
And everyone is operating legally. Ba-doum, tish !
How does it work?
Something I've not been able to work out from the coverage so far - does NSO retain some control over it's product after they have sold it? The seem adamant that many of the phone numbers on the lists which the press have published aren't targets, which implies that they have knowledge of their customers' targets. I sort of find this hard to believe, but also can imagine that they'd want to keep some sort of control of the product, given how dangerous it could be if it got into the wild. Then again, if everything went through their servers that could bring its own dangers!
Anyone know?
NSO caught with its pants down
They can pretend all they want but the game is up. Israel will try to whitewash NSO's behavior but they will have to back off.