US Defense Contractor Claims Intelligence Endorsed Purchasing Pegasus Spyware - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2022) US defense company L3Harris Technologies has said that the country's intelligence supported the acquisition of the Israeli cyberfirm NSO Group, which produced the controversial Pegasus spyware, The New York Times reported, citing five people familiar with the negotiations.

An international scandal around Pegasus, used by the Israeli authorities to spy on terrorists, broke in July 2021 after a media investigation unveiled that the spyware had also been used to keep an eye on politicians, businessmen, activists, journalists and opposition figures around the world.

The newspaper cited L3Harris employees as saying that US intelligence officials had secretly endorsed the deal to purchase the firm, whose technologies have stirred considerable interest from law enforcement agencies around the world, the US in particular.

Furthermore, during discussions on the possible sale of NSO Group, L3Harris officials reportedly claimed to have received permission from the US government to open negotiations, even though the firm is blacklisted in the US.

They even had at least one meeting with Amir Eshel, Director General of Israel's Defense Ministry, who was supposed to have the final say in approving the deal, as NSO Group is reported to be used as an arm of the state, with Israel licensing Pegasus to the countries deemed important for boosting security.

After the Washington Post reported in June that L3Harris was in negotiations to possibly acquire NSO Group, both parties ditched the talks, with the US company notifying the administration about the decision, New York Times reported, citing three government officials. Some attempts were allegedly made to revive the talks.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials were in talks with the US Department of Commerce to remove the NSO from the blacklist, but to no avail.