Israel government distances itself from NSO Group after US blacklists firm

After the US government backlisted the NSO Group over the alleged misuse of Pegasus software, the Israeli government has distanced itself from the firm. An investigation by 17 media organizations published in July said the Pegasus software had targeted smartphones of rights activists, journalists and government officials in several countries across the world.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, told a news conference in Jersusalem, that NSO is a private company. “It is not a governmental project and therefore even if it is designated, it has nothing to do with the policies of the Israeli government,” he said. “I don’t think there is another country in the world which has such strict rules according to cyber warfare and that is imposing those rules more than Israel and we will continue to do so.”

The NSO Group has also been accused of selling hacking tools to authoritarian regimes. But NSO maintains that it only sells its products to law enforcement and intelligence agencies and takes steps to curb abuse. The Israeli company’s inclusion on the US blacklist, for engaging in activities contrary to US national security or foreign policy interests, means that exports to them from the US counterparts are restricted.

Meanwhile, NSO said it was dismayed by the US decision and that it has ended contracts with government agencies that misused products it promotes as legitimate tools to help crime-fighting authorities tackle terrorism.

In July, an Israeli defence ministry spokesperson had said that the export of cyber products, such as spyware sold by NSO, was for lawful use and with the sole purpose of fighting crime and countering terrorism. “In cases where exported items are used in violation of export licences or end-use certificates, appropriate measures are taken,” a statement said.

Furthermore, an NSO employee had dismissed the report of 50,000 phone numbers as false and flimsy, saying that Pegasus has never been licensed for so many numbers. However, the source admitted that they were investigating whether the spyware had been deployed to hack 37 phone numbers that the Pegasus Project had particularly highlighted.

Also Read: Biden administration blacklists Israeli spyware company NSO Group

“We sell Pegasus to 45 carefully vetted government entities. We are not selling to any government. There are 90 countries (90 governments) that we have refused to do business with,” the source said. “Human rights are very important to us than money. We shut down five customers in the last few years and we will continue to do so if people do not use this product to save lives.”