NSO Group
NSO Group Technologies is an Israeli cyber-intelligence company founded in 2010 that develops Pegasus and other surveillance products. It is the most prominent commercial spyware vendor in the world and has been the subject of lawsuits, export controls, and global scrutiny over the use of its products against civil society.
- 01NSO Group was founded in 2010 by Niv Karmi, Omri Lavie, and Shalev Hulio
- 02The company is headquartered in Herzliya, Israel
- 03Its flagship product, Pegasus, is sold to government intelligence and law-enforcement agencies
- 04NSO was added to the US Entity List in 2021, restricting access to US technology
- 05NSO states its products are used only for legitimate law-enforcement and counter-terrorism purposes
- 06Critics argue NSO's human rights due diligence is inadequate and unverifiable
Company Overview
NSO Group Technologies (often referred to simply as "NSO Group" or "NSO") is an Israeli cyber-intelligence company that develops and sells surveillance software to government clients. Founded in 2010, the company is best known for Pegasus, its flagship spyware product capable of compromising iOS and Android devices.
NSO Group is headquartered in Herzliya, Israel. The company was founded by Niv Karmi, Omri Lavie, and Shalev Hulio. The name "NSO" is derived from the founders' initials (Niv, Shalev, Omri).
Products
Pegasus
Pegasus is NSO Group's flagship spyware product. It can compromise iOS and Android devices through zero-click and one-click exploits, granting the operator full access to the device's data and sensors. See the Zero-Click Pillar for full details.
Other Products
- Landmark (formerly "Circles"): A system for tracking mobile phone locations by exploiting SS7 (Signaling System 7) vulnerabilities in cellular networks
- Clemens: A tool for extracting data from cloud services
- Phantom (formerly "Osiris"): A tool for attacking computers (as opposed to mobile devices)
Business Model
NSO Group's business model is based on selling licenses to its surveillance products to government intelligence and law-enforcement agencies. According to NSO:
- Products are sold only to "vetted" government agencies — not to private individuals or companies
- NSO does not operate the technology itself — clients operate their own instances
- NSO does not have access to data collected by its clients
- Clients are contractually required to use the products only for legitimate law-enforcement and national security purposes
- NSO claims to review and approve each potential client before sale
- NSO claims to have the ability to shut down clients who misuse the products
NSO Group's claims about its business model and human rights due diligence have been disputed by Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and other researchers. In July 2026, Amnesty International's Security Lab published "Inside Pegasus" — its most complete analysis to date, based on internal NSO Group documents disclosed during the WhatsApp v. NSO Group litigation. Key findings:
- Pegasus is NOT operated autonomously by government customers: NSO Group plays an active, ongoing role in keeping the system operational
- "White Services" team: A dedicated NSO department acquires anonymized infrastructure for each customer, often paid with cryptocurrencies
- PATN: The "Pegasus Anonymizing Transmission Network" — a custom VPN hiding the customer's location and actions
- 24/7 NOC: NSO monitors customer systems around the clock for faults and security alerts
- NSO's vetting process is opaque and cannot be independently verified
- NSO's claim it cannot access client data is technically questionable — the company provides, maintains, and monitors the infrastructure
- NSO's ability to shut down misusing clients has not been demonstrated publicly
- The repeated documented use of Pegasus against journalists and activists suggests systemic failures in the vetting process
Source: Amnesty International Security Lab, "Inside Pegasus," July 31, 2026 (AI-2026-07-31)
Ownership History
- 2010: Founded by Niv Karmi, Omri Lavie, and Shalev Hulio
- 2014: Acquired by Francisco Partners (US private equity firm) for $130M
- 2019: Francisco Partners attempted to sell NSO back to the founders; the founders secured funding from Novalpina Capital (UK private equity)
- 2019–2021: Novalpina Capital held majority ownership
- 2021: Following the Pegasus Project revelations, Novalpina's investors raised concerns about the investment. Novalpina eventually lost control.
- 2022–present: NSO Group has undergone restructuring. The company has reportedly explored selling the Pegasus business or the entire company.
Controversies
NSO Group has been at the center of numerous controversies related to the use of Pegasus against civil society:
- Pegasus Project (2021): A consortium of 80+ journalists from 17 media organizations published a major investigation revealing 50,000+ phone numbers on a leaked Pegasus target list, including journalists, activists, and politicians worldwide
- Jamal Khashoggi associates: Associates of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi were targeted by Pegasus, including his fiancée Hatice Cengiz
- Mexican journalists and activists: Multiple journalists and activists investigating corruption in Mexico were targeted and confirmed infected
- Catalan independence movement: Politicians and activists involved in Catalonia's independence movement were targeted (attributed to Spanish government)
- Poland: Multiple government critics and opposition figures were targeted (attributed to Polish government)
- Hungary: Multiple journalists and political figures were targeted (attributed to Hungarian government)
“NSO Group's products have been used to target journalists, activists, and political dissidents.”
Multiple independent forensic investigations have confirmed Pegasus infections on devices belonging to journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, and political figures across 45+ countries. Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and the Pegasus Project have published detailed forensic evidence.
Legal and Regulatory Action Against NSO
- WhatsApp v. NSO Group (2019–2026): Meta/WhatsApp sued NSO in US federal court. In 2025, a jury awarded $167M in damages and a permanent injunction was entered barring NSO from targeting WhatsApp ever again. In June 2026, WhatsApp filed for contempt, citing continued NSO-linked targeting attempts.
- Apple v. NSO Group (2021): Apple sued NSO in US federal court for targeting Apple users.
- US Entity List (2021): The US Commerce Department added NSO Group to the Entity List.
- EU PEGA Committee (2022): The European Parliament established a committee to investigate Pegasus use in EU member states.
- Israel export controls (2022): Israel's Defense Ministry tightened export oversight of NSO Group.
- Amnesty "Inside Pegasus" (July 2026): Amnesty International published its most complete analysis of Pegasus, based on internal NSO documents from the WhatsApp litigation, revealing NSO's active operational role.
NSO Group's Response
NSO Group has consistently maintained that:
- Its products are used by vetted government agencies for legitimate law-enforcement purposes
- Its products have helped prevent terrorism and serious crimes, including saving lives
- It has terminated contracts with clients found to be misusing its products
- It has implemented enhanced human rights due diligence processes
- It supports regulation of the spyware industry
- It has been unfairly singled out when other companies operate in the same space
NSO has also stated that many of the allegations against it are inaccurate or exaggerated, and that it cannot respond to specific claims due to client confidentiality agreements.
