NSO Group: Dominoes, Anyone? Anyone?

March 1, 2022

In December 2021, the Zuckbook outfit released a report called “Threat Report on the
Surveillance-for-Hire Industry.” If you want to read this 17-page document, navigate to this url. If the document is disappeared, well, that’s life.

I wasn’t going to write about the banning of these intelware vendors’ firms:

  • BellTroX
  • Black Cube
  • Bluehawk CI
  • Cobwebs Technologies
  • Cognyte
  • Cytrox

And, according to the Zuck’s experts, a couple of Chinese outfits were in the list. I don’t want to hazard a guess, so let me say there are more than two of these types of firms chugging away in the Middle Kingdom.

A flurry of reports surfaced last week, including a report from My QtoA. You can read the summary at this link.

My take on this Zucking of specialized software and services firm is that I really want to ignore the impact NSO Group has had on a much needed and necessary market sector. What is unfortunate is that the Wild West, cowboy, and Silicon Valley “let’s get rich” mentality has diffused into what once was a secret carefully husbanded by government agencies.

Well, obviously, quite a few people, including bad actors, know about Pegasus and something about how it functions. The zero click compromising of a mobile device popped up in a recent phone call with a fellow who operated a trash hauling service. There you go. That’s diffusing if yo8u ask me.

Has the craziness caused by digital Marshal Dillons and their sidekick Chesters stopped? Probably not.

Another knock on that has not exhausted its momentum is the chatter at certain conferences about waiting for the storm to blow over. Yeah, hopeful and optimistic as the dominoes continue to topple. Perhaps the cowboys will hit the bunk house and think about something other than becoming rich and buying discounted yachts once owned by Russian oligarchs.

Stephen E Arnold, March 1, 2022

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