U.S. Cracks Down on Intellexa Consortium for 'Predator' Spyware Misuse
March 5, 2024On March 5, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Intellexa Consortium, a Greece-based spyware firm, for creating the Predator spyware.
The sanctions extend to individuals, including Intellexa's founder Tal Dilian and associate Sara Hamou, as well as blacklisting entities to block access to U.S. technology.
Predator spyware has compromised the privacy of Americans including government officials and journalists, prompting the Biden administration to enforce new visa restrictions on foreign individuals involved in spyware misuse.
The U.S. has added surveillance technology vendors to the Entity List and executed an Executive Order to combat the trafficking of cyber exploits and protect national security and human rights.
The government's sanctions and restrictions target both individuals and entities and are in response to the global spread of Predator spyware, with confirmed presence in at least 11 countries.
Summary based on 10 sources
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Sources
TechCrunch • Mar 5, 2024
US sanctions founder of spyware maker Intellexa for targeting Americans | TechCrunchNBC News • Mar 5, 2024
U.S. bans maker of spyware that targeted a senator's phone