Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Pakistani army: 6 soldiers and 7 militants killed in clash near the Afghan border
Israeli media: Sirens sound in the settlement of Kerem Shalom in the Gaza envelope area
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: We still believe in dialogue and prioritize diplomatic solutions with Pakistan; though we are ready for all possibilities.
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: Pakistan purposely obstructed negotiations in Turkey by making unrealistic demands.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: More than 70 martyrs in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn.
Death toll from latest Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 30
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Five killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli airstrike targets the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City

Pegasus' nemesis: Meet QuaDream, another Israeli spyware company

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Reuters
  • 4 Feb 2022 20:12
3 Min Read

A report by Reuters delves into the hacking techniques used by QuaDream, a low-profile company that was established by ex-NSO Group employees and an Israeli military official.

  • x
  • The entrance to an office listed as belonging to Quadream is seen in a high rise building in Ramat Gan, Israel, January 25, 2022. (Reuters)
    The entrance to an office belonging to Quadream, at a high-rise building in the occupied territories, January 25, 2022 (Reuters) 

Apple's software has a flaw that was exploited by the Israeli surveillance company, NSO Group - famous for the Pegasus spyware scandal - which allowed the company to break into iPhones in 2021. At the same time, it was abused by a competing company, according to 5 people who knew about the matter. 

The competing company - QuaDream - is a smaller company, also Israeli, which develops hacking tools used to hack into smartphones and sold to governments. 

The two businesses, which have a rivalry, attained the ability to break into iPhones last year, according to the sources. This entails that they can break into an Apple iPhone without the owner having to open a link.

The same sophisticated technique was employed: the "zero-click" - a depiction of just how much phones are easily infiltrated than industries want to admit, according to one expert. 

"People want to believe they're secure, and phone companies want you to believe they're secure. What we've learned is, they're not," said Dave Aitel, a computer security professional and a partner at Cordyceps systems.

It was analyzed that the two companies used similar 'software exploits' to hijack iPhones, known as ForcedEntry. An exploit by definition is a code made to leverage software vulnerabilities, which gives the companies unauthorized access to the phone data. 

A Reuters journalist last week visited a QuaDream office in the occupied territories in "Tel Aviv", but no one answered the door, in addition to no response from an Israeli lawyer - listed by QuaDream - who was emailed. 

ForcedEntry has been found to be one of the most technically sophisticated exploits ever captured by security researchers; Apple in November sued the NSO Group over ForcedEntry, which has violated Apple's user terms and services agreement. 

Despite the similarity in NSO and QuaDream's maneuverings, in a written statement, NSO contended that it "did not cooperate" with QuaDream, however, the "cyber intelligence industry continues to grow rapidly globally." 

Human rights organizations have been eyeing the recent findings that spyware is being used to attack civil society, human rights organizations, journalists, and political figures, as well as to infiltrate elections. 

Read more: HRW Beirut Blast investigator targeted with Israeli Pegasus spyware

Last November, the NSO was blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce, though the FBI purchased the program in 2019 and used it domestically. 

As part of its policy, QuaDream maintains a low profile in comparison with NSO Group. The company was founded in 2016 by a former Israeli military official, Ilan Dabelstein, in addition to 2 ex-NSO employees, Guy Geva and Nimrod Reznik. 

Drawing parallels with NSO's Pegasus, QuaDream has REIGN, which could overpower a smartphone, and can obtain messages from Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal, and more. Photos, contacts, and texts are not excluded. This information is according to product brochures. 

REIGN can record phone calls in real-time, can activate the camera - front and back - as well as the microphone, according to one brochure. 

As for the prices, one QuaDream system, which can hack into 50 phones a year, was valued at $2.2 million a year. However, REIGN was known to be higher, according to individuals familiar with QuaDream. 

One of QuaDream's first customers was Singapore's government. 

  • REIGN
  • Israel
  • QuaDream
  • Reuters
  • Surveillance
  • Singapore
  • NSO Group
  • Pegasus

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
What Marr evidently didn't seem to understand was that Hedges isn't saying that Western journalists manipulate the truth, but that they systematically amplify Israeli narratives they know are false. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Western journalists know they have a case to answer for their betrayal of Gaza, and it frightens them

  • Opinion
  • 24 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Displaced Sudanese who fled El-Fasher after the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rest near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region (AP)
Politics

UAE directly funded RSF, leading to fall of El-Fasher: Sudan

'You’re not welcome in Greece': Israelis face port protests
Politics

'You’re not welcome in Greece': Israelis face port protests

This photo released by the Israeli military on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, shows ground operations inside the Gaza Strip (AP)
Politics

IOF soldier who fought in Gaza, Lebanon denied entry to Czech Republic

UN inquiry exposes 'Israel’s' four genocidal crimes against Gaza
Politics

'Israel' committed four genocidal acts in Gaza, UN inquiry finds

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS