NSO group: the dark side

Xip
InfoSec Write-ups
Published in
4 min readFeb 7, 2023

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Introduction

The NSO Group is a notorious surveillance hacking company. The NSO Group is based in Israel but has offices in multiple countries, including the UK and US. The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to governments that abuse human rights and journalists are killed. An Australian company tried to buy CitizenLib but was rejected by co-owner Yossi Appleboum for ethical reasons. A New Zealand company called Xero tried to buy CitizenLib but was also rejected by co-owner Yossi Appleboum for ethical reasons

The NSO Group is a notorious surveillance hacking company.

The NSO Group is a notorious surveillance hacking company. The group is based in the UK but has offices in the US, Canada and Israel. The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to governments that abuse human rights, including Israel’s military occupation of Palestine as well as Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen.

The CEO of the NSO Group sold its products to Mexico’s SBG Corp for $120 million dollars (roughly $100 million less than what it was worth). There are no credible reports about how much money this sale made for him personally or how much he earned from it over his career with this company until he left it over ethical concerns related to human rights abuses committed by governments using these tools against activists around the world who work on issues like corruption within society such as drug cartels or environmental destruction caused by mining companies; however there were many opportunities where people could have saved themselves millions had they instead chosen not participate!

The NSO Group is based in the UK but has offices in the US, Canada and Israel.

The NSO Group is based in the UK but has offices in the US, Canada and Israel. The company’s CEO is Francisco Partners’ international affairs executive Thiru Vignarajah.

In December 2017, the Financial Times reported that Francisco Partners had acquired NSO Group for $125 million from its founders: Shlomo Kramer and Oren Segal

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to governments that abuse human rights.

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to governments that abuse human rights.

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to countries where journalists are killed.

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to countries where journalists are imprisoned.

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to countries where journalists are killed.

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to countries where journalists are killed.

The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to countries where journalists are imprisoned or harassed.

The NSO Group has been linked to at least two killings of journalists in recent years: Jamal Khashoggi and Nazimuddin Samad, both of whom were murdered in Turkey by members of the Saudi government.

An Australian company called Defense Lab tried to buy the NSO Group’s hacking tool CitizenLib but was rejected by co-owner Yossi Appleboum for ethical reasons.

The NSO Group is a notorious surveillance hacking company that sells its software to governments that abuse human rights. They have been accused of selling their tools to countries where journalists are killed, including Mexico and Indonesia.

In 2011, the New York Times reported that “the Israeli company [NSO Group] has gained a reputation for using its spyware technology to target activists in places like the West Bank.” The article also stated that “[a]lthough it’s not clear who purchases these spyware packages from NSO Group directly or through middlemen like Appleboum…its possible those clients could be interested in surveillance technologies similar to what’s used by other countries around the world.”

A New Zealand company called Xero tried to buy CitizenLib but was also rejected by co-owner Yossi Appleboum for ethical reasons.

A New Zealand company called Xero tried to buy CitizenLib, but was also rejected by co-owner Yossi Appleboum for ethical reasons.

Xero’s CEO is a friend of Yossi Appleboum.

There are reports that other companies have been rejected from buying CitizenLib because of ethical concerns with the NSO Group sales process.

There are reports that other companies have been rejected from buying CitizenLib because of ethical concerns with the NSO Group sales process. These include:

  • The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has condemned what it calls “a troubling trend” toward developing tools for governments to spy on their citizens. The ACLU has voiced its opposition to NSO Group’s sale of its Pegasus intelligence platform, saying it could be used to target journalists and human rights activists.
  • Amnesty International USA, which also opposes selling such tools to governments that abuse human rights and civil liberties. It recently called on President Donald Trump not to approve the sale of such software by NSO Group because it might lead him into violating U.S.-Israeli law due diligence requirements set forth in Section 806(a)(1)(B)(iii) of Title 28 U.S Code Section 1781m(a)(3)

It’s important to know who is buying these kinds of tools so you can be sure that they won’t be misused by bad actors in government or business in the future

The NSO Group is a notorious surveillance hacking company that sells its tools to governments and companies that abuse human rights. It’s also been involved in the assassination of journalists, which makes it especially worrisome for journalists who work across borders.

The NSO Group has been linked to several attacks on human rights activists and journalists, including those who investigate corruption or seek justice for victims of torture or death at the hands of law enforcement officials in Mexico; Colombia; Panama; Hungary; Venezuela; Ecuador (where Rafael Correa called for an end to funding for Amnesty International); Argentina, where police killed during protest against neoliberal austerity measures under Mauricio Macri’s presidency

Conclusion

The NSO Group is a notorious surveillance hacking company. The NSO Group sells its surveillance tools to governments that abuse human rights, sell them to countries where journalists are killed and even rejected attempts by other companies from buying its products because of ethical concerns with the NSO Group sales process.

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