Skip To Content
logo/forward/small
Get our NewslettersShop our Store
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Support Our WorkSupport Us
Fast Forward

Report: U.S. used front company to buy Israeli spyware

According to a report in the New York Times, the Biden administration is using NSO’s ‘Landmark,’ a geolocation system that reveals the location of a person by inputting their phone number

The Israeli tech firm NSO makes hacking tools that are used across the globe.

The Israeli tech firm NSO makes hacking tools that are used across the globe. Photo by Getty Images

By Haaretz April 3, 2023

This article originally appeared on Haaretz, and was reprinted here with permission. Sign up here to get Haaretz’s free Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox.

The United States government is an active client of the Israeli offensive cyber firm NSO Group, known for its infamous Pegasus spyware, according to a report by the New York Times.

The Times’ investigation, published early Monday, revealed that five days after the Biden administration announced the blacklisting of NSO for activities contrary to the United States’ national security or foreign policy interests, the U.S. purchased a different software from NSO via a front company.

The software is known as “Landmark,” a geolocation system that reveals the exact location of a person by inputting their phone number.

The report comes one week after U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order banning the use of commercial spyware by the American government. The ban applies to “operational” use that pose a “risk” to American national security, specifically counterintelligence.

The Times’ report shows that while the administration was working on limiting the use of spyware, the American security establishment – specifically the FBI – wanted to use the software. Previously it was reported that the FBI purchased Pegasus for research purposes, and even looked into to using it for domestic investigations. Previous reports also stated that the CIA used Pegasus in Djibouti.

According to the report, despite being aware of the problematic nature of working with NSO, the U.S. government decided in November 2021 to buy its software via a front company from New Jersey called Cleopatra Holdings.

The New York Times’ report is the first known publication of the name of “Landmark.” This system is different from Pegasus, which is malware injected onto a target’s cellphone, thus allowing its operator to hack the phone, access all the information stored on it, read encrypted messages and secretly turn on both the camera and microphone.

The report claims that “Landmark” has been used numerous times, mostly against targets in Mexico. The Times also claims that the system was sold to Saudi Arabia and has been used by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against dissidents.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Dive In

    Sponsored: Stream the Best Israeli Film & TV

    Explore

    Most Popular

    In Case You Missed It

    Republish This Story

    Please read before republishing

    We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
    You must comply with the following:

    • Credit the Forward
    • Retain our pixel
    • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
    • Add a noindex tag in Google search

    See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

    To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

    Report: U.S. used front company to buy Israeli spyware

    Copied to clipboard
    Copied to clipboard

    We don't support Internet Explorer

    Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.