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
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree: The missile force carried out a major operation using the Palestine 2 ballistic hypersonic missile, hitting several targets in occupied Yafa.
Sirens sound in large areas of occupied Palestine after a missile launch from Yemen was detected
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 14 martyrs arrive at al-Shifa Hospital following Israeli massacre of al-Sultan Family north of Gaza.

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

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Israeli police and rescue teams respond at the scene of a shooting attack where several people killed and injured in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 (AP)

Al-Quds shooting: 7 settlers killed, several critically injured

  • Politics
  • 8 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

Pro-'Israel' far-right Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, September 27, 2024 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' stops unfunded diplomacy ahead of UN, October 7 memorial

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

OIC summit draft: Israeli attack on Qatar risks normalization

People shout slogans and hold Palestinian flags while protesting during the twenty-first stage of La Vuelta cycling race from Alalpardo to Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP)
Sports

Pro-Palestine protests force abrupt end to Vuelta a España finale

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime faces growing isolation over Qatar strike: Reports

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