“Israeli” NSO Group Mulls Sale or Shutdown of Pegasus Spyware

By Staff, Agencies 

“Israeli” technology firm NSO Group is reportedly considering a sale of the company or shutting down its controversial Pegasus spyware, according to reports of private discussions between officials.

People involved in the talks indicated two potential suitors for the company in exchange for a $200 million injection of capital and a shift into strictly defensive cybersecurity services, Bloomberg News reported.

NSO Group edged closer to defaulting on roughly $500m of debt after being blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce in November for its illegal use of the spyware.

This comes as NSO was accuse of selling its smartphone-hacking product to countries that used it for “transnational repression,” while human rights groups condemned the technology.

Pegasus was responsible for about half of NSO Group's revenue, according to Bloomberg.

An in-depth investigation by major media outlets and nonprofits around the world found that the spyware was used to target journalists, activists, and politicians in dozens of countries.

The report cited officials discussing whether to sell the entire company or to just close its Pegasus unit and focus instead on its drone system.