The Pegasus company changes its director and will lay off 100 employees

• Spain First judicial investigation against the Pegasus company for espionage

Planned reorganization or existential crisis?

In any case, it is an earthquake that shakes the foundations of the NSO company after the dismissal of 100 of its 750 employees and the resignation as CEO of one of its owners and founders.

This is the culmination of the information on the improper use of its sophisticated and

program by

client countries, the veto by the US Department of Commerce and Israel's decision to restrict the granting of export permits to cyber companies. Intelligence.

In this way, Shalev Hulio, the

and the best-known face of NSO, takes a step back in the direction of the technological Israeli ship anchored in the coastal city of Herzliya (north of Tel Aviv) and will dedicate himself to the field of sales and company mergers.

His temporary successor and current chief operating officer, Yaron Shohat, will be in charge of managing a "reorganization that will examine all aspects" of his business, with the aim, according to his spokesman, that "NSO remains one of the main companies of the world's high-tech cyber intelligence, focusing on NATO member countries.

"The company's products continue to be in high demand among governments and law enforcement because of its cutting-edge technology and proven ability to help these customers

," the firm said in a statement. created and sells the cyber spy capable of penetrating a mobile phone -without the user being aware of it or having to enter an unknown link-, extract all its information and remotely activate its camera.

One of the last chapters related to Pegasus was written in Spain in two media pages and with a lot of political charge.

The first published in mid-April by

in which "Citizen Lab" denounced that it was used against 65 mobile phones of politicians, activists and journalists linked to the Catalan independence movement.

The second, at the beginning of May, when the Spanish Government, accused of the first case, denounced the discovery of Pegasus on the mobile phones of President

and the Minister of Defense,

, coinciding with the serious crisis with Morocco in 2021 around the entry into Spain of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali.

Spain?

Morocco?

From NSO they clarified to EL MUNDO that by contract

whose number rose, according to our estimates, to 45 states.

"We only sell the system to countries for use against organized crime and terrorism which has thwarted numerous attacks. If a country misuses Pegasus that violates our trust and contract, we investigate it and if suspicions are confirmed, we disconnected it immediately," company sources insist.

The controversy travels to the US

The epicenter of the earthquake is in the US Department of Commerce, which last November included the NSO, along with the also Israeli Candiru, on the

after several journalistic reports and investigations pointed out that Pegasus was found in cell phones. diplomats - including Americans - politicians and journalists thus violating their rights.

Since that heavy blow to NSO by limiting its commercial room for maneuver, Hulio has tried unsuccessfully to convince them to change what he considers an "unfair measure" without forgetting that, according to various reports, Pegasus was also acquired by US intelligence agencies.

Like other earthquakes, the one that hits NSO was accompanied and warned by seismic movements.

For example, the recent failed sale to the US security company and technology provider L3Harris due, according to

magazine , to opposition from Israel and the US.

Although it is a private company, the Israeli government is aware of the diplomatic and image damage caused by any information that emerges in any corner of the world about the

Hence, in recent months, Israel has tightened its policy on the export of security products with an emphasis on cyber espionage.

The Ministry of Defense, in charge of granting licenses to security companies, has drastically reduced the number of countries to which NSO can sell its sophisticated "preemptive strike" espionage weapon and points out that if the client uses it correctly it can contribute to preventing attacks and arresting pedophiles but, if not, it can also be used to spy on and persecute activists who are uncomfortable with power.

In the cyber sector, some fear that the position of the Israeli authorities will cause the

as has happened for example with Nemesis.

This small company tried to compete with NSO but was denied licenses by the Defense Export Control Agency to export its intelligence

to countries in Africa and South America.

NSO expects to end 2022 with revenue of $150 million.

In 2020, the figure reached 243 million.

Company sources point out that it is "in a good position considering the situation in the sector" and complain to the

newspaper that "the Ministry of Defense watches from the sidelines how the Americans manage and plan the sector, which has an impact on Israeli cyber companies not doing so well right now."

"NSO will ensure that its innovative technologies are used for

and worthy purposes," adds the new CEO of a company that does not need spy

to realize that it is at the most crucial moment of its 12-year life. .

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