The US government has imposed sanctions on European spyware companies Intellexa from Greece and Ireland, and Cytrox from Hungary and North Macedonia. These companies’ espionage tools are deemed as a threat to US national security, as well as the privacy and security of individuals and organizations globally. The tools developed by Intellexa and Cytrox are known to play a key role in campaigns of repression and human rights violations.
The imposed sanctions aim to hinder the further development of this technology. Cytrox, a subsidiary of the Intellexa consortium, has developed the spyware Predator, which provides extensive access to Android devices. By using this spyware, stored information and ongoing communications can be accessed. The software is capable of secretly recording voice calls and audio, gathering data from apps such as Signal and WhatsApp, as well as hiding or preventing the launch of programs. Additional features include location tracking and access to the camera.
The US government states that it is committed to curbing the spread of digital means of repression, hence why these sanctions have been imposed. The impact of such tools and technologies on international human rights has been of concern, and these sanctions are seen as a welcome step towards addressing this issue.
According to Citizen Lab, the spyware developed by Intellexa and Cytrox has been sold to countries such as Armenia, Egypt, Indonesia, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, and Greece. These countries have been embroiled in spy scandals involving the use of this software. In Germany, it was revealed earlier this year that the Zitis hacking authority had expressed interest in using this software as a state Trojan.
