Israel Bars KSA, UAE, Morocco From Buying Its Cyber-Tech

Web Desk — Israel has reduced the number of countries eligible to purchase its cyber technologies by 60 percent, Israel’s Calcalist financial newspaper reported, following concerns over NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.

Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will now be barred from importing Israeli cyber technology, according to the newspaper, which did not disclose its sources.
From 102 to 37 countries, the list of countries licensed to buy the technology has been trimmed.

Israel’s defense ministry responded to Calcalist’s report by saying it takes “appropriate steps” when the terms of its export licenses are violated, although it did not confirm any licenses had been revoked.
Amnesty International, Forbidden Stories, and a group of international media organizations revealed in July that Pegasus spyware had been used to hack smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, human rights activists, and political leaders.

Both Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel last year, as well as Saudi Arabia, have been implicated in political surveillance by Pegasus, the investigation found.

Israel has been under pressure to rein in exports of spyware since the report was published, while the National Security Organization – which denies any wrongdoing – has faced a number of legal and financial setbacks.

NSO and Candiru have been placed on a trade blacklist by the US Department of Commerce for selling spyware to governments that “misused” it.
It prevents the two entities from purchasing parts and components from US companies without a special license. According to Moody’s credit rating agency, NSO is facing a growing risk of default on around $500 million of debt after the US restrictions.

In addition, Apple said it wanted to permanently prevent NSO from using any Apple software, services, or devices, a move that may render the company’s spyware useless.