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JERUSALEM (AP) – IsraelThe Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it is tightening control over cyber exports after a series of scandals involving the Israeli spyware company. NSO Group.
NS ministry He said countries that purchase Israeli cyber technology must sign a statement pledging to use the products “only for the investigation and prevention of acts of terrorism and serious crime.”
It said countries violating its terms of use could be subject to sanctions, “including the limitation and/or disconnection of the cyber system.”
The announcement never mentioned NSO. But it came just days after it was revealed that 11 US State Department employees had been hacked. NSO A person familiar with the spyware issue and not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation said the employees were all based in Uganda and included some foreign service officers.
It was the first known example. NSO GroupPegasus’ trademark spyware is used against US government personnel.
US Department of Commerce blacklisted last month NSOprohibits the company from using US technology. The blacklist raised the following questions: NSO‘s financial outlook and ability to survive and acknowledged that the company is trying to reverse the decision.
Apple has also sued NSO He described the Israeli company as “the corrupt mercenaries of the 21st century” after it hacked iPhones and other Apple products last week. Facebook has filed a lawsuit over similar allegations of hacking into the popular WhatsApp messaging system.
Pegasus allows its operator to access the target’s mobile phone, including contacts, text messages and real-time communication.
NSO It says it sells its technologies to governments only to fight crime and terrorism, and has stringent safeguards to prevent abuse. Company officials admitted that it cut several customers due to misuse.
But human rights groups and outside researchers said the company’s security measures were inadequate. They say customers have abused Pegasus to track journalists, human rights activists and political dissidents, from Mexico to Saudi Arabia and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Critics also accused Israel lax surveillance on the digital surveillance industry.
NSO declined to comment on Ministry of Defense instructions. But last week, it said it promptly closed customers “potentially related” to the Ugandan case. He also promised to take legal action against customers if breach of their contract is found.
Israel He previously said that cyber exports are limited to the fight against crime and terrorism. According to the new guidelines, ministry “The definitions have been sharpened to avoid blurring the boundaries in this context,” he said.
The updated statement states that acts of terrorism are acts that, among other things, aim to threaten a population and can result in death, injury, hostage-taking and more. He also said that “it clarifies the situations in which the operation of the cyber system is prohibited and clearly demonstrates the possibility of imposing sanctions in case of violation of the provisions.”
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