Israeli spyware: head of “Pegasus” creator resigns

NSO manufactures the infamous spy software “Pegasus”, which was used to spy on politicians, journalists and activists. The founder and boss of the Israeli company has now resigned.

According to the company, Shalev Hulio, the head of Israeli spy software maker NSO, has resigned. Company officials also pointed out that 100 employees, about 13 per cent of NSO employees, were to be laid off. A company spokesperson said Hulio is stepping down as part of a restructuring. He will be replaced by Yaron Shohat, the previous director for operations business, who will also lead the restructuring process. The indebted company intends to focus on NATO member countries as customers in the future.

Creator of Powerful Spyware

NSO came under international criticism because the company “Pegasus” produces spy software. It can be used to monitor a target’s contacts, messages and location data on their smartphone. According to the NSO, its purpose is to trace terrorists and criminals – but in reality, Countries like Saudi Arabia and Mexico Or the West Bank spied on journalists and activists.

German officers – the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Intelligence Service – also use the software.According to journalistic research.

The US put NSO on the sanctions list in 2021 to make it more difficult for the company to access US technology. Apple and Facebook accused NSO of “breaking” their products and sued the company.

The company was also affected by Israel’s decision to tighten controls on software exports. This reduced the number of states that NSOs can sell their surveillance equipment to from 100 to 37.