COLUMNS

When Espionage Skills Are for Sale, So Is Your Security

undefined and VP of Tactical Analysis
Scott Stewart
VP of Tactical Analysis, Stratfor

Oct 22, 2019 | 10:00 GMT

A woman walks in front of an office belonging to the Israeli cybersecurity company, NSO Group, in August 2016 near Tel Aviv.

The governments of Mexico and Saudi Arabia both reportedly surveilled journalists and political opponents using spyware bought from NSO Group, the Israeli company whose office near Tel Aviv is pictured above.

(JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlgihts

  • Anyone with the intent, interest and budget to buy espionage tools and expertise can now acquire the capability to steal a specific piece of information. 
  • It can thus be presumed that any national intelligence agency, large corporation or organized crime group can access whatever data they deem valuable enough to pay for.

Reports emerged Oct. 16 that UAE-based cybersecurity company DarkMatter recruited officers who had previously worked for Israel's elite cyber intelligence outfit, Unit 8200. Interestingly, the story also noted that many of the Unit 8200 personnel had first worked at the Israeli cybersecurity company NSO Group before reportedly departing the company for larger salaries at DarkMatter. Both NSO Group and DarkMatter have generated a great deal of media coverage for allegedly arming governments with intelligence tools to spy on potential dissidents and journalists, among other targets. These cases, however, undoubtedly only scratch the surface of a much larger threat -- that is, the increasing proliferation of intelligence tools and skills on the open market. Today, more actors than ever can purchase advanced intelligence capabilities, forcing us to reconsider the way we think about, analyze and protect against corporate espionage threats....

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