Israel Cuts Out Countries That Can Import Cyber Technology

Israel has cut the list of countries eligible to buy its cyber technology. (photo: doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - Israel has reportedly cut the list of countries eligible to buy its cyber technology following concerns over possible abuse abroad of hacking tools sold by Israeli company NSO Group. This was reported by the Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist on Thursday, November 25.

The newspaper did not disclose its source, saying Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that will now be barred from importing Israeli cyber technology. The list of states licensed to buy it has been cut to just 37 states, down from 102.

Israel's Ministry of Defense, in response to the report, said in a statement that it was taking "appropriate measures" when the terms of use stipulated in its export license were violated but did not confirm that the license had been revoked.

Earlier this month, US officials put NSO on a trade blacklist for selling spyware to governments that abuse it. The company said it was disappointed with the decision, as the technology "supports US national security interests and policies by preventing terrorism and crime".

Israel has been under pressure from many countries around the world to control spyware exports since last July when a group of international news organizations reported that NSO's Pegasus tool had been used to hack the phones of journalists, government officials, and human rights activists in several countries.

The report prompted Israel to review the cyber technology export policy managed by the Ministry of Defense.

Morocco and the UAE, which both normalized relations with Israel last year, as well as Saudi Arabia and Mexico are among the countries where Pegasus has been linked to political surveillance, according to Amnesty International and the University of Toronto Citizen Lab who studied the surveillance, as mentioned by Reuters.

NSO has denied wrongdoing, saying it only sells its tools to governments and law enforcement agencies and has safeguards in place to prevent misuse.

NSO is also facing lawsuits and criticism from major tech companies who accuse it of exposing its customers to hacking. Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is the latest to sue NSO this week.