The United States announced new sanctions on Monday against Intellexa Consortium, a commercial spyware company led by a former Israeli military officer. The company’s products have been used for mass surveillance campaigns worldwide, allowing users to access sensitive information from dissidents, journalists, political candidates, and opposition figures. The sanctions target five individuals and one organization connected to Intellexa, which is based in Greece with subsidiaries in North Macedonia, Hungary, Ireland, and the British Virgin Islands. The company developed a suite of spyware tools known as Predator, which allowed access to a target’s device without the need for them to click on a link or attachment.
The program would grant access to the camera, microphone, and any data or files stored on the compromised phone. Acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, stated that the United States will not tolerate the spread of disruptive technologies that threaten national security and undermine the privacy and civil liberties of citizens. Earlier this year, several subsidiaries of Intellexa and two employees, including its founder Tal Dilian, were sanctioned by the Biden administration. The Commerce Department also blacklisted Intellexa and one of its subsidiaries last year, denying them access to U.S. technology.
The five individuals targeted by the new sanctions held senior positions at Intellexa or its subsidiaries, according to U.S. officials. The Aliada Group, another subsidiary based in the British Virgin Islands, was also sanctioned for enabling financial transactions for Intellexa totaling tens of millions of dollars. Intellexa, founded in 2019 by Tal Dilian, and Sara Hamou, a corporate offshoring specialist who provided managerial services to the company, were penalized earlier this year. This marks the first time sanctions have been issued over the misuse of spyware. Individuals and organizations under sanctions are prohibited from engaging in business or financial transactions within the U.S. or with U.S. entities.
Amnesty International’s Security Lab released a report last year revealing that Predator spyware had been used to target devices connected to prominent figures such as the president of the European Parliament, the president of Taiwan, and U.S. lawmakers. Europe has also faced spyware incidents, with Predator reportedly used in Greece leading to the resignation of two top government officials in 2022, including the national intelligence director. Messages left with Intellexa and its executives were not immediately returned for comment on the sanctions. The sanctions aim to hold individuals and organizations accountable for the misuse of spyware technology, which has been used for malicious surveillance purposes around the world, posing a threat to privacy and civil liberties.
