India seeks alternative to spyware amidst NSO scandal: Financial Times

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Financial Times
31 Mar 2023 15:53

Modi's government plans on replacing controversial Pegasus spyware, identifying Israeli-built companies as possible substitutes.

Protestors in India, July 2021, accuse Modi's government of using spyware to monitor political opponents and journalists. (AP)

India is searching for an alternative spyware system to NSO’s Pegasus, according to the Financial Times report.

The report claims that Indian defense and intelligence officials have decided to acquire a new system due to PR problems associated with blacklisted Pegasus. The Indian government is ready to spend up to $120 million on the new system.

The Financial Times estimates that around 12 companies have joined the bidding process.

There are no official documents showing that India was a customer of the highly controversial NSO. Nonetheless, the report claims that “the malware has been found on the phones of journalists, left-leaning academics, and opposition leaders around India.”

When deployed, Pegasus can hack emails, decrypt messaging apps, and access other personal information.

According to the report, Israeli-built companies, Cognyte, Quadream, and Intellexa were identified as possible replacements for the infamous Pegasus.

This news comes after President Joe Biden pushed against the private spyware industry. Biden signed an executive order that bans the use of commercial spyware by the federal government. According to the White House’s press release on March 27, the use of private spyware “poses risks to national security.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Biden claimed that “US taxpayer dollars should not support companies that are willing to sell their products to abet human rights violations.” He further explained that commercial spyware had been used to “target dissidents, activists, and journalists around the world, including in the United States.”

Israeli spyware has also been active in EU countries spurring controversies in Greece, Spain, and France among others.

It is also worth noting that in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other members of the Spanish Government were subject to cyber attacks in May 2021.