Security News > 2020 > May > Senator demands deep probe into spyware-for-cops after NSO Group touts hacking toolkit to American plod

Senator Ron Wyden was reacting to Vice's discovery of a brochure by Westbridge Technologies - the US sales wing of the controversial NSO Group - which pitched NSO's Pegasus technology, rebadged as Phantom, to a police force in San Diego, California.

The reference to spying on an ex-partner relates to claims that an employee of NSO Group who was caught using the firm's technology to spy on a woman they were interested in romantically.

NSO Group has been in touch to split hairs over whether Westbridge is its American sales wing or not.

"Westbridge Technologies shares a parent company with NSO but is neither NSO's subsidiary nor its 'arm.' NSO exercises no control over Westbridge Technologies," a spokesperson for NSO told us.

This article was also updated to make clear Senator Wyden was calling for congressional oversight into all spyware offered to police, not just malware made by NSO Group.

News URL

https://go.theregister.co.uk/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/13/senator_calls_for_congressional_investigation/