Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors

Israeli spyware shaper NSO Group has confirmed to TechCrunch that a U.S. concern radical has acquired the company.  

NSO spokesperson Oded Hershowitz told TechCrunch connected Friday that “an American concern radical has invested tens of millions of dollars successful the institution and has acquired controlling ownership.” 

Confirmation of the woody came soon aft Israeli tech quality website Calcalist reported Friday that a radical led by Hollywood shaper Robert Simonds agreed to acquisition the surveillance tech shaper successful a woody valued successful the tens of millions of dollars.  

Hershowitz declined to specify the magnitude invested, arsenic good arsenic who the investors are.  

“This concern does not mean that the institution is moving retired of Israeli regulatory oregon operational control,” said Hershowitz. “The company’s office and halfway operations stay successful Israel. It continues to beryllium afloat supervised and regulated by the applicable Israeli authorities, including the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli regulatory framework.” 

(After sending the messages, Hershowitz declared his comments “off the record,” which requires some parties to hold to the presumption successful advance. TechCrunch is publishing the responses arsenic determination was nary statement made.) 

In 2023, The Guardian reported that Simonds and an associate, done their concern firm, were exploring making a bid to instrumentality power of NSO. The woody ne'er materialized. 

Calcalist reported that arsenic portion of the caller woody with Simonds, NSO’s co-founder and enforcement president Omri Lavie’s engagement with the spyware shaper volition end. 

Lavie did not instantly remark erstwhile contacted by TechCrunch. Neither Simonds, nor his Hollywood institution STX Entertainment, responded to our petition for comment, either. 

From a U.S. prohibition to U.S. ownership 

NSO Group has been mired successful contention since its precise beginning. 

Researchers astatine the integer rights radical from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and others, have for years documented dozens of cases wherever NSO’s authorities customers targeted and hacked journalists, dissidents, and quality rights defenders successful Hungary, India, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, among others.  

NSO has agelong claimed that its spyware is designed to not people U.S. telephone numbers, apt to debar hurting its chances to participate the U.S. market. But the institution was caught successful 2021 targeting astir a twelve U.S. authorities officials abroad. 

Soon after, the U.S. Commerce Department banned American companies from trading with NSO by putting the spyware shaper connected the U.S. Entities List. Since then, NSO has tried to get disconnected the U.S. government’s blocklist, arsenic precocious arsenic May 2025, with the assistance of a lobbying firm tied to the Trump administration.  

John Scott-Railton, a elder researcher astatine the Citizen Lab who has helped analyse abuses of NSO’s spyware for a decade, told TechCrunch helium is acrophobic astir the acquisition. 

“NSO is simply a institution with a agelong past of going against American interests and supporting the hacking of American officials. In what satellite tin specified a idiosyncratic beryllium trusted to decently oversee a institution similar NSO Group?” said Scott-Railton, referring to Simonds.  

“Going further, my existent interest is that NSO has strenuously tried to participate the United States and merchantability their merchandise to American constabulary forces successful U.S. cities. This dictator tech does not beryllium anyplace adjacent Americans, oregon our constitutionally protect[ed] rights oregon freedoms.” 

NSO’s ownership has exchanged hands before.  

Originally founded by Niv Karmi, Shalev Hulio, and Omri Lavie, NSO Group was acquired by U.S. backstage equity steadfast Francisco Partners successful 2014. Lavie and Hulio retook power of the company successful 2019 with assistance from European backstage equity steadfast Novalpina. Then, successful 2021, the California-based Berkeley Research Group took implicit management of the fund. In 2023, Lavie retook control of NSO arsenic bulk owner.