Pegasus: Israel defence panel to 'scan' more spyware firms

Israel's top defence committee will convene a special session on the use of "offensive cyberarms" in the wake of international backlash over the alleged misuse of NSO Group's Pegasus software and further revelations that other Israeli firms may have also supplied similar spyware solutions to other countries, according to a media report.

Israel defence panel to 'scan' more spyware firms

The Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee will convene a closed session to discuss not just NSO and the string of revelations about its spyware's potential targets exposed as part of the Project Pegasus, but also other Israeli offensive firms that have made headlines in recent months, daily Haaretz reported.

The Pegasus Project is a consortium of media outlets that reported the NSO's Pegasus spyware was linked to hacks and potential surveillance. Firms like Candiru and Quadream have also sold their spyware solutions to non-democratic regimes, the report said.

"The session of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee is apparently not listed on their official agenda and it will be sealed off from the public and its minutes kept off the record because the session will be held by a sub-committee dedicated to "intelligence issues and other special issues," the daily reported. The meeting is reportedly set for August 9, though the committee chair, lawmaker Ram Ben Barak, has denied it. "Check your sources," his office told Haaretz when asked for a response about the planned discussion.

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