The Treasury Department announced sanctions against Intellexa, the Greece-based company that created the Predator spyware.
In the statement, it was stated that Intellexa and 2 related individuals and 5 organizations were included in the sanctions list, and it was noted that these individuals and companies "developed, operated and distributed spyware targeting US citizens, including US government officials and journalists."
Tal Jonathan Dilian, the founder of Intellexa and a former member of the Israeli army, was included in the sanctions list, and Sara Aleksandra Faisal Hamou, who provides management services in the company, was also sanctioned.
In the statement, it was reported that among the other organizations included in the sanctions list are Ireland-based Intellexa Limited and Thalestris Limited, North Macedonia-based Cytrox AD and Hungary-based Cytrox, which are affiliated with Intellexa.
PREDATOR SPY SOFTWARE
Predator, developed by Intellexa, is said to be modeled on Pegasus, a spyware developed by Israeli software company NSO and used in 45 countries.
Like most spyware, Predator infiltrates smartphones by clicking on links sent via e-mail or text message.
The person who clicks on the link is secretly redirected to a separate link on the internet and unknowingly installs Predator on their phone. Predator, which does not appear to be installed on the device, can be used to access a lot of information on the phone, including call logs.
Predator spyware came to the fore in April 2022 after it was detected on the cell phone of Greek journalist Thanasis Kukakis.
Greek media reports claimed that the phones of many prominent politicians, bureaucrats, journalists and business people, including former Prime Minister Andonis Samaras and then Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, were tapped.
