A Peek at the Most Secretive Cybersecurity Firm in Israel

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/a-peek-at-the-most-secretive-cybersecurity-firm-in-israel-1.6805950

By Amitai Ziv
Haaretz
January 3, 2019

If you enter the lobby of the Tel Aviv building that acts as its 
headquarters, you won't find its name in the directory. You also won't 
find a website for it because it doesn't have one. Its 120 or so employees 
don't post profiles on LinkedIn and sign strict confidentiality 
agreements. Inquiries by TheMarker elicited a polite but firm "no 
comment."

The company is known as Candiru, named after an Amazon fish known for its 
alleged tendency to invade and parasitise the human urethra. The name fits 
the company's business, which is offensive cybersecurity, the technology 
used to hack into computers or smartphones and spy on users.

Offensive cybersecurity is a big business in Israel, with industry sources 
saying it generates about $1 billion in sales a year. The biggest and most 
controversial of the players is NSO, which has been cited repeatedly for 
selling its equipment to countries like Saudi Arabia and Mexico that have 
used them to spy and crack down on dissidents.

NSO's specialty is hacking smartphones. Candiru's hacking tools are used 
to break into computers and servers, although some sources told TheMarker 
that it also has technology for breaking into mobile devices as well.

[...]



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