30 July 21, 16:17
Quote:Authorities from multiple agencies of the Israeli government paid a visit the offices of the NSO Group as part of a new investigation into claims that the secretive firm is selling its spyware to threat actors for targeted attacks, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
A single tweet from the ministry announced the raid on Wednesday, but did not disclose exactly which government agencies participated. Specifically, Israeli agents visited NSO Group’s offices in Herzliya, near the city of Tel Aviv, according to a post by analyst firm Recorded Future’s The Record.“Representatives from the number of bodies came today to NSO to examine the publications and claims raised in the matter,” the ministry tweeted (Google translated from Hebrew).
NSO Group is working “in full transparency” with authorities, the firm told The Record.“We are confident that this inspection will prove the facts are as declared repeatedly by the company against the false allegations made against us in the recent media attacks,” the company said, according to the post.
However, security experts and industry watchers aren’t so sure of the company’s claim of innocence in the matter.
“NSO insists that the report is wrong, but also that it’s fine to spy on people, and also that terrorists will murder us all if they aren’t allowed to reap vast fortunes by helping the world’s most brutal dictators figure out whom to kidnap, imprison and murder,” tweeted Cory Doctorow, an author, journalist and activist.“As I say, all of this is rather ordinary. The NSO Group’s bloody hands, immoral practices and vicious retaliation against critics are well established,” he added in a separate tweet.
Read more: Israeli Government Agencies Visit NSO Group Offices | Threatpost