Four companies as well as the Isreal-based spyware company NSO Group and Candiru have been added to a list of entities engaging in “malicious cyber activities” by the U.S. Commerce Department.
This addition is based on evidence that spyware was developed and supplied to foreign governments who in turn used these tools to maliciously target government officials, activists, academics and embassy workers. The agency further stated that “Foreign governments have conducted transnational repression targeting dissidents, journalists outside of their sovereign borders to silence dissent.”
Amongst the list of sanctioned firms also includes Computer Security Initiative Consultant PTE. LTD. based in Singapore and Russia’s Positive Technologies which was already sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for allegedly providing support to Russia Intelligence Services in mounting cyberattacks against U.S. companies.
Entity List in its literal interpretation is a list of entities found to be engaging in activities contrary to national security or foreign policy interests of the U.S., thus bringing about the necessity for their subjection to additional trade restrictions, which mandates other U.S. organizations to acquire a special license from the government to conduct business with the four companies.
This is coming following the discovery in July 2021 that NSO Group and Candiru are behind the exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities in Apple iOS and Google Chrome web browser to eavesdrop and track movements of individuals deemed of interest to their customers. The infamous Pegasus Spyware a tool capable of harvesting contacts, call histories, text messages and photos without leaving a trace was also created by the NSO Group.
“The United States is committed to aggressively using export controls to hold companies accountable that develop, traffic, or use technologies to conduct malicious activities that threaten the cybersecurity of members of civil society, dissidents, government officials, and organizations here and abroad,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement.