‘Abusive’ NSO Group hits 9 U.S. State Department employees

Photo by Nahel Abdul Hadi on Unsplash

Apple will be sending a batch of emails to U.S. State Department employees telling them they’ve been hacked by nation states using Israel-based NSO Group’s spy tech. I doubt America will be happy about that.

NSO Group – spies to rent

A Reuters report says NSO Group’s tech was used to hack at least nine State Department employees based in Uganda. Some were not based there but were focused on matters that relate to that country.

It seems relevant to note that Ugandan politician and president of the Democratic Party, Norbert Mao said he had received such an alert, according to a Tweet.

Given NSO Group claims to have some ethical code around use of its tech by governments, I imagine the U.S. will find it unusual to see tech made in an allied nation used against it by some unknown nation state.

Apple will ‘give no quarter’

As we know, Apple is pursuing a case against the NSO Group. It calls NSO Group: “21st century mercenaries who have created highly sophisticated cyber-surveillance machinery that invites routine and flagrant abuse.”

Ivan Krstic, head of Apple security engineering and architecture, said in an interview when litigation was announced:

“This is Apple saying: If you do this, if you weaponize our software against innocent users, researchers, dissidents, activists or journalists, Apple will give you no quarter.”

Privacy is complicated in this connected age

The long list of the hacked

The nine (or more) State Department employees join a long list of people to have been attacked in this way:

• In Thailand at least six government critics have received them, according to Reuters. 
• In Africa, a report on GhanaWebtells us that former Presidential staff member, Stan Xoese Dogbe has also allegedly received such a warning.
• Warnings have also been received by civil society reps, opposition politicians and journalists in El Salvador, according to local reports.

NSO Pegasus has previously been identified as being in use across at least 45 countries.

“In a free society it is unacceptable to weaponize powerful state-sponsored spyware against those who seek to make the world a better place,” said Apple’s security chief Ivan Krstić.

“Apple runs one of the most sophisticated security engineering operations in the world, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect our users from abusive state-sponsored actors like NSO Group.”

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