US sanctions maker of Pegasus spyware

Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 3

The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the NSO Group— the makers of the spyware Pegasus in order to hold companies accountable for aiding malicious activities that threaten the cybersecurity of dissidents, government officials and organisations here and abroad, said the US Commerce Department.

“Today’s action is a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to put human rights at the center of US foreign policy, including by working to stem the proliferation of digital tools used for repression, ‘’ said a US Government statement.

This effort is aimed at improving citizens’ digital security, combating cyber threats, and mitigating unlawful surveillance. It follows a recent interim final rule released by the Commerce Department establishing controls on the export, re-export, or in-country transfer of certain items that can be used for malicious cyber activities, it added.

The lengthy official statement and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s declaration that the US will aggressively use export controls is indicative of the importance Washington is attaching to malicious targeting in cyberspace. It also contrasts with the silence adopted by the Modi government on the issue of Pegasus spyware having been extensively used in India.

NSO has been sanctioned along with Positive Technologies of Russia and Computer Security Initiative Consultancy of Singapore. All three “traffic in cyber tools used to gain unauthorised access to information systems, threatening the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide”, said the US Commerce Department.