NSO Group
| NSO Group | |
|---|---|
| Trade name | |
| Logo | |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder(s) | Shalev Hulio, Omri Lavie, Niv Karmi |
| Defunct | |
| Headquarters | Herzliya |
| Industry | Spyware |
| Services | |
| Parent | Q Cyber Technologies |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Revenue | |
| Number of employees | |
| Homepage | |
NSO Group is an Israeli spyware company, founded in 2010 by Shalev Hulio, Omri Lavie and Niv Karmi. Karmi left within a month. The product is Pegasus, a zero-click implant for iOS and Android. The Israeli registration is Q Cyber Technologies. Luxembourg filings have used OSY Technologies, and a North American subsidiary was formerly Westbridge. A sale needs an Israeli defence-export licence. In November 2021 the US Commerce Department blacklisted NSO and Candiru together. The company says it does not operate the software after sale and that Israel has no access to what clients collect.[1][2]
The product
Pegasus is installed without a click. On a phone it can take messages, mail, photographs and live audio and video. The company says it is sold to government intelligence and law-enforcement agencies to investigate terrorism and crime, and that it cannot see how a client uses it. Israel says its role is the licence, not the operation. The same restricted-country list that Candiru used — the United States, Russia, China, Israel and Iran barred — has been reported for NSO. Staffing is reported from Unit 8200. That is the same gate as Paragon Solutions and Candiru.[1][3]
Owners
Francisco Partners held the firm and sold a majority stake back to Hulio and Lavie on 14 February 2019, backed by Novalpina Capital. Revenue in 2018 was put at $250 million. In July 2021 investors in Novalpina removed the fund’s managers after a dispute among them, and control of the assets, including NSO, passed to Berkeley Research Group. Reported later office-holders include a chief executive and an executive chairman. Those names are not confirmed on a filing cited here, and should not be treated as the current board until they are.[4]
The record
The [Pegasus Project](https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/pegasus-project), published in 2021, reported the software on the phones of journalists, activists and politicians. On 3 November 2021 the Commerce Department added NSO and Candiru to the Entity List, for acting “contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States,” and for supplying spyware that foreign governments had used to target dissidents, activists and journalists. The New York Times called it the strongest American step against the trade, and noted that both firms operate under Israeli government supervision. The listing restricts US exports to the company. It is not a finding that the ministry reads the product.[1]
In 2022 the Spanish government said Pegasus had been used against cabinet members, including the prime minister. The spy chief resigned. In January 2026 the High Court closed the inquiry again, because Israel had not answered requests for information and no suspect could be identified. A reported remark, attributed to a senior Israeli diplomatic representative in Spain, is that the government has backdoor access to data taken by Israeli spyware and uses it as leverage. NSO denies it. The court record is the non-answer.[2]
Licences have been described as a diplomatic chip. A chip is a use of the export. A feed would be a different fact. The company denies the feed.
See also
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
- Pegasus
- Candiru
- Paragon Solutions
- Intellexa
- Unit 8200
- Black Cube
Resources
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Blacklists Israeli Firm NSO Group Over Spyware, New York Times, 3 November 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Spain closes Pegasus spyware probe again, saying Israel has not responded, Reuters, 22 January 2026.
- ↑ Candiru.
- ↑ NSO Group acquired by its management, Novalpina Capital, 14 February 2019.