Departure of the CEO of NSO, maker of the controversial Pegasus spyware

The Israeli Cyber ​​Technology Society NSOmaker of the controversial spyware Pegasusannounced on Sunday a “reorganizationof its activities, the departure of its CEO and its desire to refocus its sales on NATO member countries. “NSO group today announces a reorganization of the company and the departure of CEO Shalev Hulio, replaced by Yaron Shohat, current director of operations who will preside over the reorganization“, said the company in a press release sent to AFP.

According to the Israeli specialized press, NSO plans to lay off around 100 of its 700 employees as part of this reorganization. NSO did not confirm these figures, but indicated “streamline operations“, in order to “to remain one of the largest cybertech companies in the world“, and concentrate its sales “to NATO member countries“. In the summer of 2021, NSO found itself in the spotlight after a media consortium revealed that the phone numbers of at least 180 journalists, 600 politicians, 85 human rights activists and other 65 business leaders had been spied on via its Pegasus software.

Read alsoPegasus: Madrid rocking under spy cases

This IT tool, considered a “armed» by the Israeli defense which must give the green light to its export, allows for example to remotely activate the cameras and the microphones of a smartphone. The firm NSO repeats since these revelations, and others which followed, to have obtained the licenses to export its software and that this last, intended for the counterterrorism and the fight against crime, could have beendivertedof its use by certain customers. But these revelations and a debt contracted beforehand by the group have amputated its cash threatening until the survival of this flagship Israeli cybertech company, according to court documents consulted at the beginning of the year by AFP.

These documents reported an internal battle over the countries to which the group should sell its technology, with some creditors saying they did not object to its sale to countries called “high riskbecause of their human rights record, to avoid losing money. According to these documents, Berkeley Research Group (BRG), an American management firm which manages the majority of the group’s shares, opposed it, insisting on the priority for NSO to get out of the American blacklist of companies threatening state security. on which it was placed in November.

“The company is reorganizing to prepare for its next wave of growth. And Yaron (Shohat) is the right person, arrived at the right timeoutgoing CEO and co-founder Shalev Hulio said in a statement. “NSO will ensure that its advanced technologies will be used in a fair and commendable manneradded new boss Yaron Shohat, who joined the company in 2018.