U.S. government adds spyware "Pegasus" developer to embargo list

Carrie Mihalcik (CNET News) Translation Proofreading: Mitori Yakura Mutsumi Hase (Galileo)

2021-11-04 11:15

The US Department of Commerce announced sanctions on Israeli cybersecurity company NSO Group on November 3rd. The spyware "Pegasus" developed by the company was found to have been installed on the smartphones of activists, journalists and VIPs in 2021.

The Department of Commerce said in a statement that it has added NSO Group to the "entity list" to which restrictions apply to the use of US technology. The company "used these tools to develop spyware that maliciously targets government officials, journalists, businessmen, activists, researchers, and embassy staff and supplies it to governments in other countries." The decision is based on the evidence shown. The Commerce Department further said that NSO Group's tools also allowed foreign governments to "repress across borders" and threaten international order.

In September, NSO Group's attention was triggered by Apple's iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch to fix a vulnerability reportedly exploited by Pegasus, a spyware that secretly invades devices. It was the release of a security update for the Mac. The security fix began in a study conducted by the public interest cybersecurity group Citizen Lab, which found that a Saudi activist's smartphone was infected with Pegasus. In July, a research team found evidence that Pegasus was attempted or actually installed on 37 activist, journalist, and executive smartphones.

NSO Group, which licenses surveillance software to government agencies, claims that Pegasus software helps government authorities use encryption technology to combat underwater criminals and terrorists. ing.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, the move is part of the Biden administration's efforts to "make human rights a pillar of US foreign policy," including "preventing the rapid spread of digital tools used to crack down." That is.

This article was edited by Asahi Interactive for Japan from an article from overseas Red Ventures.

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