Israeli spyware ‘used to hack phones of US diplomats’

US DIPLOMATS had their iphones hacked using spyware developed by an Israeli company that helps foreign clients eavesdrop on conversations and steal sensitive data.

Apple alerted 11 diplomats that their mobiles had been hacked by NSO Group’s surveillance tools in the past few months, according to reports.

It comes a month after the US blacklisted NSO after determining its foreign government clients had used its spyware to “maliciously target” embassy staff, journalists and activists.

The Israeli company’s Pegasus spyware is among the most intrusive commercially available surveillance tools.

It can be remotely to a device without any action from the owner and turns smartphones into spying devices.

The US National Security Council warned about NSO’S software again on Friday, in response to the reports of the hack on American personnel.

“We have been concerned that commercial spyware like NSO Group’s software poses a [counterintelligence] and security risk to US personnel, which is one of the reasons why the Biden-harris administration has placed several companies involved in [these] tools on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List,” the council said.

According to reports, at least nine employees either based in Uganda or elsewhere in east Africa were affected.

It is unclear who was behind the cyberattacks.

NSO said it had suspended accounts with clients yesterday after the reports, but did not identify the clients.

The company will also “co-operate with any relevant government authority and present the full information we will have”, a spokesman said.