Israeli firm?s spyware linked to attacks on websites in UK and Middle East

Researchers have found new evidence that suggests spyware made by an Israeli company that was recently blacklisted in the US has been used to target critics of Saudi Arabia and other autocratic regimes, including some readers of a London-based news website.

Candiru and NSO Group, a much more prominent Israeli surveillance company, were both added to a US blacklist this month after the Biden administration took the rare step of accusing the firms of acting against US national security interests.

The sophisticated attacks allow the malware user to identify characteristics about the individuals who have visited the website, including what kind of browser and operating system they are using. In some cases the malware user can then launch an exploit that allows them to take over an individual target’s computer.

Unlike NSO Group’s signature spyware, which is called Pegasus and infects mobile phones, Candiru’s malware is believed by researchers to infect computers. The company appears to be named after a parasitic freshwater catfish that can be found in the Amazon.

Candiru did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.

Middle East Eye condemned the attacks. In a statement, its editor-in-chief, David Hearst, said the outlet was no stranger to attempts to take the website down by state and non-state actors.

Eset said it believed hacking activities ended in late July 2021 after a report by researchers at Citizen Lab, released in conjunction with Microsoft, detailed Candiru’s alleged surveillance activities. That report accused Candiru of selling spyware to governments linked to fake Black Lives Matter and Amnesty International websites that were used to hack targets.

At the time, Candiru declined to comment.

There is little public information available about Candiru, which was founded in 2014 and has undergone several name changes. In 2017 the company was selling its malware to clients in the Gulf, western Europe and Asia, according to a lawsuit reported in an Israeli newspaper. Candiru may have deals with Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Forbes has reported.

This month Candiru made headlines after the Biden administration announced it had added the company to the commerce department’s entity list, a blacklist usually reserved for America’s worst enemies, including Chinese and Russian hackers.

Candiru has not commented on its placement on the entity list.