A couple of weeks after being appointed as the new CEO of a spyware firm NSO Group, Itzik Benbenisti is reported to step down from the position, according to several Israeli news outlets. The decision of the former CEO came from the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to include the NSO Group in the list of entities that engage in malicious activities that contradict the national security or foreign policies of the US.
Researchers have reached out to the NSO Group for comments, to no avail. Nonetheless, the spyware firm confirmed the controversial decision. Despite being announced as the CEO of NSO Group just last October 31, Benbenisti has yet to begin the job.
Some sources reported that the former NSO Group CEO was alarmed after hearing about the new sanctions of the US that could lead to legal consequences during his term.
Furthermore, the US Commerce Department’s action of enlisting NSO Group and Candiru, another spyware firm, is due to the evidence that both firms have developed and delivered spyware to overseas governments to target journalists, activists, government officials, businessmen, embassy staff, and scholars.
The US Commerce Department also added that the foreign governments who were sent the spyware had repressed significant individuals from other countries, highlighting how they have targeted these people to silence them.
Meanwhile, the NSO Group remained bombarded with bad publicity due to their very own Pegasus spyware being leveraged worldwide. From a recent report, the spyware firm has targeted and hacked the mobile phones of six human rights activists from Palestine using Pegasus.
Another report, among many others, include a UAE leader who used Pegasus spyware to scout on his ex-wife and her lawyers.
For these incidents, the US has sanctioned that the creator of the Pegasus spyware, NSO Group, to be added to the list due to its abuse of human rights.
From a joint statement released by Congress members, they stated their concern with the surges of authoritarianism worldwide. Therefore, they had to track down the actors behind the issue and stop the distribution of surveillance tools used in these abuses, such as spyware. They also believe that these tools are powerful enough to be used against Americans and significant people such as journalists and activists.
