March 6, 2024 at 03:15AM
The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC sanctioned individuals and entities linked to Intellexa Alliance for distributing spyware targeting government officials and journalists. The group, including companies like Cytrox, developed the Predator spyware, similar to NSO Group’s Pegasus, enabling unauthorized data access. The sanctions aim to address misuse of commercial spyware and protect civil liberties globally.
Based on the meeting notes from March 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned individuals and entities associated with the Intellexa Alliance for their role in developing and distributing commercial spyware targeted at government officials, journalists, and policy experts in the United States. The Intellexa Consortium, which includes companies such as Cytrox, has been linked to the development and distribution of the Predator spyware, similar to NSO Group’s Pegasus. The sanctions apply to specific individuals and entities, such as Tal Jonathan Dilian, Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou, Intellexa S.A., and Cytrox AD, among others. The U.S. government also added Cytrox and Intellexa to the Entity List, and the sanctions arrived following new revelations about Predator’s delivery infrastructure. Furthermore, the U.S. government unveiled a new policy allowing it to impose visa restrictions on foreign individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware. These sanctions aim to establish clear guidelines for the responsible development and use of surveillance technologies while safeguarding human rights and civil liberties globally.