The measures taken should block the financial arteries of criminals and slow down the spread of Predator.
The US authorities yesterday announced sanctions against two individuals and five organizations associated with the Predator spyware, after the company behind the tool shut down its infrastructure in response to an extensive investigation of its activities by the Insikt Group.
The sanctions were imposed on individuals and entities associated with the Intellexa commercial spyware consortium — the holding company that sells Predator-for their role in "developing, operating, and distributing commercial spy technology used to spy on Americans, including U.S. officials, journalists, and policy experts."
Predator spyware has been actively used around the world since 2019, specifically infecting Android and iPhone devices. The US Treasury Department claims that the consortium has a "global client base", including various authoritarian states.
Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department's deputy head of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said: "Today's actions represent a significant step forward in the fight against the misuse of commercial surveillance tools that pose an increasing security threat to the United States and our citizens."
The US Treasury sanctions list includes Tal Jonathan Dilian, founder of the Intellexa consortium and a former Israeli army officer, and Sarah Alexandra Feissal Hamu, a specialist in "corporate offshore companies"who helped Dilian rent office space in Greece and hold senior positions in several subsidiaries involved in the sale of Predator spyware. It is these organizations that were included in the latest sanctions list of the US Treasury.
The Intellexa Consortium has long been used as a marketing brand to promote commercial spyware, tracking tools, and information about vulnerabilities that can be used in real-world attacks. The US sanctions are aimed at cutting off Intellexa from the US financial system and slowing the spread of the Predator spyware.
Any new corporate entities created by the Intellexa consortium to continue unacceptable activities will also face immediate sanctions, according to a senior administration official.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the consortium back in July 2023. Then the US government and several research organizations accused Intellexa of trading in cyber exploits used to access unprotected software systems.
According to Agnes Callamar, Secretary General of Amnesty International, Intellexa's highly invasive surveillance products are now traded around the world at an almost industrial level, and related companies are free to conduct their business without control or any real responsibility. And something definitely needs to be done about it.
The US authorities yesterday announced sanctions against two individuals and five organizations associated with the Predator spyware, after the company behind the tool shut down its infrastructure in response to an extensive investigation of its activities by the Insikt Group.
The sanctions were imposed on individuals and entities associated with the Intellexa commercial spyware consortium — the holding company that sells Predator-for their role in "developing, operating, and distributing commercial spy technology used to spy on Americans, including U.S. officials, journalists, and policy experts."
Predator spyware has been actively used around the world since 2019, specifically infecting Android and iPhone devices. The US Treasury Department claims that the consortium has a "global client base", including various authoritarian states.
Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department's deputy head of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said: "Today's actions represent a significant step forward in the fight against the misuse of commercial surveillance tools that pose an increasing security threat to the United States and our citizens."
The US Treasury sanctions list includes Tal Jonathan Dilian, founder of the Intellexa consortium and a former Israeli army officer, and Sarah Alexandra Feissal Hamu, a specialist in "corporate offshore companies"who helped Dilian rent office space in Greece and hold senior positions in several subsidiaries involved in the sale of Predator spyware. It is these organizations that were included in the latest sanctions list of the US Treasury.
The Intellexa Consortium has long been used as a marketing brand to promote commercial spyware, tracking tools, and information about vulnerabilities that can be used in real-world attacks. The US sanctions are aimed at cutting off Intellexa from the US financial system and slowing the spread of the Predator spyware.
Any new corporate entities created by the Intellexa consortium to continue unacceptable activities will also face immediate sanctions, according to a senior administration official.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the consortium back in July 2023. Then the US government and several research organizations accused Intellexa of trading in cyber exploits used to access unprotected software systems.
According to Agnes Callamar, Secretary General of Amnesty International, Intellexa's highly invasive surveillance products are now traded around the world at an almost industrial level, and related companies are free to conduct their business without control or any real responsibility. And something definitely needs to be done about it.
