She said The Israeli NSO Group Spyware Software Inc said Sunday its chief executive, Shalev Hulio, was stepping down in a decision that took immediate effect and COO Yaron Shuhat was appointed to oversee the company’s restructuring ahead of the appointment of Hulio’s successor.
A source in the company confirmed that regarding 100 employees will be laid off as part of the company’s restructuring, and that Shouhat will lead the company until the board of directors appoints a new CEO.
The company, whose Pegasus software was among its products, faced legal action following it was reported that governments and other agencies misused its software to hack mobile phones.
NSO said its technology tools and software are meant to help arrest terrorists, pedophiles and hardened criminals and are sold to “scrutinized and legitimate” government clients, but it keeps its client list confidential.
In 2021, NSO found itself at the center of a global espionage scandal following an investigation published by 17 international media outlets as of July 18 revealed that the Pegasus program allowed spying on at least 180 journalists, 600 political figures and 85 activists. Jurists and 65 company owners in several countries.
Pegasus can hack into a mobile phone’s camera or microphone and get its data.
The Israeli company has always confirmed that it sells this software to countries only, and the sale must be approved by the Israeli authorities in advance.
However, the disclosure of this information, in addition to the group’s previous debts, negatively affected its finances, threatening the continuity of the leading Israeli technology company, according to court documents seen by AFP at the beginning of the year.
The documents revealed an internal battle over the countries to which the Israeli group was to sell its software, with some creditors saying they did not object to selling it to “high-risk” countries because of its record of respecting human rights, to avoid losing money.
