Cobwebs Technologies
Israeli OSINT / web intelligence firm; Meta surveillance-for-hire takedown; sold to Spire
| Cobwebs Technologies
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Private (acquired) |
| Founder(s) | Udi Levy, Shay Attias, Omri Timianker |
| Headquarters | Herzliya, Israel |
| Industry | Open-source / web intelligence (OSINT) |
| Parent | Spire Capital (acquired 2023) |
Cobwebs Technologies is an Israeli open-source / web intelligence (OSINT) company. Globes reported in July 2023 that US private equity firm Spire Capital acquired Cobwebs for an estimated $200–250 million. Founders Udi Levy (CEO), Shay Attias (CTO) and Omri Timianker (President) were described as "all graduates of IDF intelligence units."[1]
Meta takedown
In December 2021 Meta (Facebook) suspended accounts of seven "cyber-mercenary" firms, including Cobwebs. Meta said Cobwebs sold a platform for reconnaissance across the internet including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and the dark web, and that customer accounts engaged in social engineering; it identified customers in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, the United States, New Zealand, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Poland and elsewhere, and "frequent targeting of activists, opposition politicians and government officials in Hong Kong and Mexico."[2] CEO Levy told Globes the Meta period was challenging but that the company "proved that we had nothing to hide."[1]
See also
- Bluehawk CI
- Black Cube
- Cognyte
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assaf Gilead, Spire Capital buys Israeli web intelligence co Cobwebs, Globes, 11 July 2023.
- ↑ Catalin Cimpanu, Facebook takes down accounts for seven "cyber-mercenary" firms, The Record, 16 December 2021.