The boss of the Israeli technology company NSO, which produces the controversial spy software Pegasus, is resigning. NSO co-founder Shalev Hulio is leaving his post as part of a restructuring, a company spokesman said on Sunday.
He will be replaced by the previous director for operational business, Yaron Shohat, who will also lead the reorganization process. The indebted company wants to focus on the NATO member states as customers in the future.
The Pegasus software from the Israeli manufacturer NSO is able to read out all data from mobile phones attacked with it. In addition, Pegasus can switch on the camera and microphone of the respective device unnoticed. According to the company, the software will only be sold to government agencies to track down criminals and terrorists, and the sale must be approved by the Israeli government.
However, research by 17 international media last year revealed that Pegasus had been used to monitor the phones of hundreds of journalists, politicians and human rights activists in various countries, including authoritarian countries such as Saudi Arabia. In response to the Pegasus scandal, the US government blacklisted NSO Group last year.
