NSO Group

Snapshot

NSO Group was founded in 2010 by Niv Carmi, Omri Lavie, and Shalev Hulio. The company is headquartered in Herzliya, Israel. It is a privately held company. NSO Group became one of the most controversial cyber-intelligence companies in the world following sustained investigative reporting and government sanctions.

Core Activity

NSO Group's primary product is Pegasus, a mobile surveillance software sold exclusively to government and law-enforcement clients. Pegasus is capable of remotely compromising iOS and Android devices, extracting messages, emails, photos, and enabling microphone and camera access, often through zero-click exploit chains that require no interaction from the target. The company has consistently stated that Pegasus is sold only to vetted governmental customers for the purpose of lawful interception targeting criminals and terrorists.

Products & Services

Pegasus is NSO Group's flagship product. It has been documented by Citizen Lab (University of Toronto) and Amnesty International's Security Lab as being used against journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, and heads of state, including a confirmed forensic finding on devices associated with the circle of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In 2021, the Pegasus Project — a coordinated investigation by 17 media organizations — published analysis of a leaked list of approximately 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected as targets of interest by NSO clients.

Market Position

In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce added NSO Group to its Entity List, effectively prohibiting American companies from selling technology to NSO without a license. Apple filed a lawsuit against NSO Group in November 2021 in U.S. federal court. WhatsApp (Meta) filed a separate lawsuit in 2019, alleging NSO exploited a WhatsApp vulnerability to deliver Pegasus to approximately 1,400 devices. The EU Parliament launched an inquiry committee (PEGA) in 2022 following findings that Pegasus had been deployed against European citizens and politicians, including in Hungary and Spain. These legal and regulatory actions significantly constrained NSO's commercial operations.

Israel Presence

NSO Group operates primarily from Herzliya. Its workforce has been reported to draw heavily from alumni of Israeli military intelligence units, particularly Unit 8200. The company faced internal pressure and reported financial distress following the U.S. Entity List designation; Francisco Partners, which had owned a majority stake, had explored a sale of the company. Shalev Hulio stepped down as CEO in 2022.

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