Internal emails, affidavits, and contracts of Broidy’s reveal the backdrop of cyber attacks
NSO group were in news from several years for providing their special surveillance software to developing countries which was criticized for breaching human rights. The firm NSO is recognized for selling its surveillance software Pegasus. The Group operates from several alleged shell companies; all of which use a unique name. The firm NSO have been accused of selling hacking tools to authoritarian regimes.
Ten years ago when NSO group was started gaining recognition. Mexico became its first over client and signed a deal that generates tens of millions of Dollars in revenue. The deal gave the golden chance to NSO group for selling its software Pegasus to different nations like UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, and Rwanda. NSO soon faced allegations as the software was used as a tool of domination against politicians, journalists, and Human- Right activists.
Elliott Broidy (A top GOP fundraiser) played an important role in NSO’s deal with Mexico. Broidy became a critical intermediary person for NSO group who would bring Pegasus to the attention of the very top of the country’s leadership. Broidy’s contact in Mexico with a man named ‘Mr. Lambo” known for his love of Italian sports cars, later got arrested and spent time in a U.S. federal prison for making an illegal foreign contribution to an American Election.
According to an affidavit filed in court in Tel Aviv, Broidy got familiar with the Pegasus software of NSO in 2010, when he was contracted by one of his ex-employees who had joined the NSO sales team. Matan Caspi spent many years working for Broidy’s Capital management in Los Angeles where he was engaged in selling technology to Mexico. Matan Caspi return back to Israel where he co-founded an Israeli cybersecurity firm ‘Rayzone Group’
During the same year, Caspi meets Broidy for a discussion over the Pegasus software. In the meeting, Broidy expressed keen interest in the products of NSO for successfully selling them to the Mexican Army.
In an approach to Broidy’s Mexican business associate and government officials in Mexico, NSO Group was entirely relied on Caspi and his partner Eric Banoun, and, for a time, Broidy. The partnership of NSO and Banoun was contract-based and offered a 10 percent commission on the sale of Pegasus to Mexico. Broidy also had connections in the security world that would prove invaluable to NSO.
Later on affidavits, emails, and NSO contracts were filed by defendants in the Tel Aviv lawsuit. The Daily Beast identified the businessman as “Mr. Lambo” (a Mexican billionaire of Japanese origin) who sold its eavesdropping technology to Mexico and other foreign entities.
In 2018, a legal case was filed by Republican businessman and fundraiser Elliott Broidy against the State of Qatar and several individuals, for allegedly hacking into his computer system, stealing its secretive information, and revealing it to the media in an attempt to defuse Broidy’s criticism of the country.
According to the legal documents, Qatar hacked more than 1,200 Americans including friends of President Donald Trump, European counter-terrorism officials, Arab leaders, international football stars, and actresses.
In December 2020, NSO Group took its revenge when Dozens of Al Jazeera (state-owned Arabic language International radio broadcaster of Qatar) journalists were allegedly hacked with the help of Pegasus spyware developed by NSO.
