NSO Group Proved As Perpetrators Of Pegasus Spyware Attack, This Is What The US Did!

The NSO Group is listed as an entity or blacklist in the United States. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Israel-based cybersecurity company, NSO Group has just entered the entity list or blacklist in the United States (US). The NSO Group was behind the Pegasus spyware attack that was found on the phones of activists, journalists and executives earlier this year.

The addition of the NSO Group to the blacklist means companies can no longer use American technology. This is based on the fact that the company is proven to develop and supply spyware to foreign governments targeting government officials, journalists, business people, activists, academics and embassy workers.

The Commerce Department said NSO Group's tools have also helped foreign governments carry out transnational repression and threaten international order.

In response to this, the NSO Group said it was very disappointed with the decision and would advocate for the action to be reversed.

"We look forward to providing complete information on how we have the most stringent compliance and human rights program in the world that is based on American values that we share deeply, and has resulted in repeated termination of contact with government agencies that abuse our products, " said a spokesman for NSO, as quoted by CNET, Thursday, November 4.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the move is part of US President Joe Biden's administration's efforts to place human rights at the center of US foreign policy, including by working to stem the proliferation of digital tools used for repression.

The Pegasus spyware was first reported by cybersecurity group Citizen Lab, which discovered that the cellphones of Saudi Arabian activists had been infected with Pegasus. In July, researchers also found evidence of attempted or successful installation of Pegasus on 37 cell phones of activists, journalists and business executives without the cell phone owners knowing.

Then, Apple immediately released a security update on all its devices to cover the vulnerability exploited by the Pegasus spyware, because some of the phones were known to be made by Apple.

However, the NSO Group, which licenses surveillance software to government agencies, denies the allegations and says the Pegasus software helps authorities fight criminals as well as terrorists who use encryption technology to go dark.