U.S. Places Sanctions on NSO Group, Peddler of Pegasus Spyware

upstart writes:

The U.S. Blacklists Makers of Cops' Favorite iPhone Hacking Tool:

NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance firm whose spyware has been peddled to authoritarian governments around the world, has been sanctioned by the U.S. Commerce Department. The new restrictions, which the agency announced in a press release Wednesday, will limit the degree to which American companies can provide parts or services to NSO-a decision that could seriously hobble the vendor's business.

NSO is best known for its commercial malware "Pegasus," a product that can infiltrate smartphones and silently pilfer their contents-from text messages to voice calls to photos. The company also sells a creepy "zero-click" exploit, the likes of which apparently requires no phishing and is said to take advantage of security flaws inherent in iPhones and Android devices to compromise them. In September, it was reported that some 1.65 billion Apple devices had been vulnerable to NSO's malware for a period of several months.

See also: US Cuts Off Pegasus Developer: What You Need To Know About This Spyware

Previously: Israeli Firm NSO Linked to WhatsApp Hack, Faces Lawsuit Backed by Amnesty International
Saudi Crown Prince's WhatsApp Account Reportedly Used to Hack Jeff Bezos
The Great iPwn -- Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage 'Zero-Click' Exploit
Israeli Spyware Maker Is in Spotlight Amid Reports of Wide Abuses

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