NSO Group, an Israeli technology firm known for its proprietary spyware Pegasus, has been facing financial problems since the US government blacklisted it in 2021.
The ban was imposed after its Pegasus was used to spy on activists, government officials, and journalists.
NSO Group CEO to Sell Pegasus to Other Countries
Based on a story written in The Financial Times, in early 2022, the firm applied for a loan with Berkeley Research Group or BRG for $10 million, which temporarily solved the issue with salaries.
Now, the company's CEO is looking for a long-term solution, and that is by selling its software to countries that they know will abuse it.
NSO Group's CEO Shale Hulio talked about his plans of selling the Pegasus spyware to firms that he reportedly described as risky.
Named the "phoenix plan," NSO Group's CEO wants to split the firm into two so that the Pegasus software code and the engineers would be in one company.
If his plan pushes through, NSO Group's riskier clients will not be affected by the ban imposed by the US government, and the firm can get cash in fast enough to pay salaries and address its loans and other debts.
The NSO Group has tried several times to argue its case with the Department of Commerce and have them removed from the blacklist, but the firm has not yet managed to meet with the officials.
Pegasus Spyware Used to Hack Officials
NSO Group developed the infamous spyware called Pegasus, which was sold to government and law enforcement agencies in different countries, 9to5Mac.
Several iPhones have been hacked by Pegasus, including those owned by prominent people like Prime Ministers, US State Department officials, senior EU officials, lawyers, journalists, and human rights activists.
In 2021, the US government banned the Pegasus after it was accused of enabling hostile spying by authoritarian governments.
According to TechCrunch, blacklisting NSO Group is the Biden-Harris administration's attempt to make human rights one of the priorities of American foreign policy.
On top of the ban, Apple also sued the firm due to iPhones infected by its spyware.
The tech giant wants to hold NSO Group accountable for its surveillance of some Apple users. The filing submitted by Apple is also seeking an injunction to prevent the firm from using any Apple services or devices in the future.
In November 2021, the tech giant alerted its customers in three countries: Thailand, El Salvador, and Uganda.
This is after it was discovered that the spyware was activated in the said countries to attack activists and researchers who have been critical of the government, according to Tech Times.
Apple alerted the users that were targeted by state-sponsored attacks that tried to compromise iPhones linked with specific Apple IDs.
Related Article: FBI Confirms Testing NSO's Pegasus Spyware, But Denies Using it During Investigation
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
