The United States has blacklisted four Israeli-controlled firms on Tuesday, alleging that their spyware has been utilized by governments to hack the phones of political opponents.
The Commerce Department revealed that units of Intellexa incorporated in Greece and Ireland, as well as units of Cytrox based in Hungary and North Macedonia, have been added to its Entities List, imposing severe restrictions on American business dealings with them.
According to the Commerce Department, Intellexa and Cytrox were involved in the trade of exploits designed to breach IT systems, posing a threat to the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide.
The decision follows accusations that both mercenary surveillance vendors supplied spyware found on the phones of government critics.
Cybersecurity firm Talos identified Intellexa and Cytrox as the entities behind the spyware known as Predator.
The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, a research group studying hacking and spyware, reported that Predator was used to target exiled Egyptian politician Ayman Nour, as well as an unidentified Egyptian television journalist.
In January, Greece’s Data Protection Authority fined Intellexa 50,000 euros for its refusal to cooperate with an investigation into the use of Predator to spy on Greek political opposition figures, journalists, military leaders, and others.
The Citizen Lab’s 2021 report revealed that Cytrox and its Predator tool are part of the “Intellexa Alliance.”
Intellexa was founded by former Israeli Defense Force intelligence officer Tal Dilian, who had previous associations with NSO Group, the creator of the infamous Pegasus spyware.
According to Forbes, Dilian acquired Cytrox in 2019 with the aim of making Intellexa a comprehensive provider of hacking and electronic surveillance services and products.
Marketing materials indicated that Intellexa offered customers the ability to hack both Apple’s iOS and the Android operating systems.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported last month that Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-owned defense contractor, was an early investor in Cytrox but sold its shares to Intellexa around early 2019.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the blacklisting of the four companies is part of a broader US government effort to counter the risks associated with commercial spyware.
Blinken emphasized that such spyware not only poses counterintelligence and security risks to the United States but has also been utilized for repression, human rights abuses, and the intimidation of political opponents, hindering dissent.