Security News > 2023 > July > US govt bans European spyware vendors Intellexa and Cytrox
The U.S. government has banned European commercial spyware manufacturers Intellexa and Cytrox, citing risks to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Google's Threat Analysis Group linked the Cytrox in May 2022 with multiple zero-day vulnerabilities used to deploy Predator spyware on Android devices.
The same month Intellexa was tagged as the maker of the Predator Android spyware and its loader Alien by Security researchers at Cisco Talos and the Citizen Lab.
Intellexa's mercenary spyware has been linked to various surveillance operations targeting high-profile European politicians, journalists, and Meta executives.
The inclusion of these spyware entities in the Entity List builds upon previous regulatory measures taken by the U.S. government to address the risks associated with commercial spyware companies.
Israeli spyware makers NSO Group and Candiru were banned for creating and selling spyware used to target activists and journalists, while Positive Technologies in Russia and Computer Security Initiative Consultancy in Singapore were sanctioned for the trafficking of hacking tools and exploits.