Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    AI agents are science fiction not yet ready for primetime

    August 31, 2025

    How to See the Total Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon on September 7

    August 31, 2025

    Verizon’s ‘software issue’ has disconnected many wireless customers across the US

    August 30, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Notorious Spyware Maker NSO Group Is Quietly Plotting a Comeback
    Security

    Notorious Spyware Maker NSO Group Is Quietly Plotting a Comeback

    News RoomBy News RoomJanuary 25, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Then Hamas attacked Israel. Since then, NSO has been in a position to tangibly demonstrate the value of tools like Pegasus in conflict situations. According to press reports, the cyber-intelligence firm has volunteered—along with Candiru, an NSO competitor that’s also blacklisted by the US—to help Israel’s security services track people kidnapped by Hamas.

    “People from the government—both in Israel and outside of Israel—now understand much better why they are needed,” an insider with direct overview of NSO’s operations reportedly told Axios in November.

    By seizing that opportunity, NSO appears to be trying to rebrand itself as being on the side of the “good guys,” make inroads with the Biden administration, and ultimately reverse the ban on its products. To succeed in its image-rehabilitation efforts, the spyware vendor has enlisted multiple public affairs consultancies and law firms, including government relations firm Chartwell Strategy Group and law firms Paul Hastings LLP, Steptoe, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, according to lobbying disclosure documents. In the past three years, NSO had also enlisted the services of Bluelight Strategies and Cherie Blair’s Omnia Strategy in the UK.

    “NSO Group engaged multiple firms, which is not uncommon but can be a reflection of the complexity of its influence efforts,” says Anna Massoglia, a researcher at the nonprofit OpenSecrets, which tracks US political spending. According to an OpenSecrets analysis of Lobbying Disclosure Act and Foreign Agents Registration Act filings, NSO has spent a total of $3.1 million in lobbying Washington since 2020. Of that, at least $897,000 was spent in 2023 alone, with payments for the final months of the year still being reported.

    The lobbying efforts have primarily focussed on pro-Israel Republicans—but not exclusively. “Foreign agents working for NSO Group have also recently reported contacting officials at the Executive Office of the President and Congress as part of these efforts,” says Massoglia.

    On November 7, Paul Hastings LLP sent a letter on behalf of NSO to request an urgent meeting with US secretary of state Antony Blinken and other State Department officials, emphasizing that “the ongoing security situation in Israel and the Middle East—and worldwide—once again highlight the necessity and urgency of employing cyber intelligence technology.”

    So far, NSO’s efforts to fall back into Washington’s good graces appear to have had little effect. “Despite their pressure, these campaigns have only had varying influence,” says Steven Feldstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The harms from spyware are well known, and there are only so many ways companies can spin the benefits of software that is inherently intrusive and rights-violating.”

    According to a senior Biden administration official who spoke to Politico in November, any changes to the US government’s sanction policy on NSO Group are unlikely. “Without a change to this rule, NSO’s future [US] market potential is very, very constrained,” says Feldstein. Still, NSO needs to invest in lobbying, public relations, and transparency exercises to carry on doing business globally.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleElon Musk Says a Cheaper Tesla Model Is Coming in 2025 as Chinese Competition Intensifies
    Next Article Cruise wasn’t hiding the pedestrian-dragging video from regulators — it just had bad internet

    Related Posts

    The Era of AI-Generated Ransomware Has Arrived

    August 30, 2025

    US Government Seeks Medical Records of Trans Youth

    August 29, 2025

    Senate Probe Uncovers Allegations of Widespread Abuse in ICE Custody

    August 27, 2025

    Highly Sensitive Medical Cannabis Patient Data Exposed by Unsecured Database

    August 27, 2025

    A Special Diamond Is the Key to a Fully Open Source Quantum Sensor

    August 25, 2025

    Data Brokers Face New Pressure for Hiding Opt-Out Pages From Google

    August 23, 2025
    Our Picks

    How to See the Total Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon on September 7

    August 31, 2025

    Verizon’s ‘software issue’ has disconnected many wireless customers across the US

    August 30, 2025

    No, a Windows update probably didn’t brick your SSD

    August 30, 2025

    The 20 best Labor Day deals you can grab for $100 or less

    August 30, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    Science

    SpaceX Starship Finally Pulls Off a Successful Test Flight

    By News RoomAugust 30, 2025

    Elon Musk and his SpaceX team can breathe a collective sigh of relief. After days…

    The Era of AI-Generated Ransomware Has Arrived

    August 30, 2025

    Scientists Just Caught Human Embryo Implantation on Camera

    August 30, 2025

    US Government Seeks Medical Records of Trans Youth

    August 29, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.