US Defence Contractor in Talks To Take Over NSO Group's Hacking Technology

The US defence contractor L3Harris is in talks to take over NSO Group's surveillance technology, in a possible deal that would give an American company control over one of the world's most sophisticated and controversial hacking tools. From a report: Multiple sources confirmed that discussions were centred on a sale of the Israeli company's core technology â" or code â" as well as a possible transfer of NSO personnel to L3Harris. But any agreement still faces significant hurdles, including requiring the blessing of the US and Israeli governments, which have not yet given the green light to a deal. In a statement, a senior White House official said: "Such a transaction, if it were to take place, raises serious counterintelligence and security concerns for the US government." If agreed, the deal would mark an astounding turnaround for NSO, less than a year after the Biden administration placed the company on a US blacklist and accused it of acting "contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US."

Makes Sense

[youngone]

It's only bad if it is someone else doing it.
This L3Harris bunch will do what they're told by the US government, so it won't be "contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US."

Re: Makes Sense

[Grokew]

Ok. This is bad, like really bad, like giving a loaded gun to a violent drunkard bad.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re: Makes Sense

[wgoodman]

I'd say that goes without saying but..

Re:

[BardBollocks]

Not MY sheriff. Just some town sheriff who thinks they're the sheriff of everywhere else too.

fuck that.

this is stuff used to hunt whistleblowers, journalists and activists - doing work FOR THE PEOPLE against the Elites who fear being exposed for their EVIL.

Re:

[gweihir]

Ok. This is bad, like really bad, like giving a loaded gun to a violent drunkard bad.

Naa, that gun-man can only kill a few people and the whole will provide some public entertainment where everybody can pretend to be absolutely shocked and that they could never have seen this coming. And, of course, that there urgently need to be more guns to stop something like this! Profit for everybody, except the ones that died. But they cannot sue, now can they?

This is much, much worse.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

It really won't change anything because the US and Israel are two peas in a pod and share technology back and forth liberally. So we're already using this stuff, and probably have all the sources, direct engineer contacts between NSA and NSO, blah blah blah. It would ultimately be good for the software (which is bad for freedom) because NSO group is continually embattled, though deservingly so.

Re:

[gweihir]

Indeed. Proto-fascist regimes never think they are doing anything wrong....

Tiktok 2.0

[khchung]

This is just the same trick Trump tried to pull on Tiktok. A non-US company succeeded in the market, so the US govt sanctioned it "for national security" and then a US company swoop in to buy it out at a huge discount.

It would be wise for NSO executives to avoid travelling near US or any of its vassals, like Canada. Else they would risk being arrested and become Meng 2.0.

Re:

[bferrell]

This is VERY different.

It's a fork and "NSO" goes to ground and continues the same work... Perhaps feeding the new work to the new entity.

Re:

[khchung]

This is VERY different.

It's a fork and "NSO" goes to ground and continues the same work... Perhaps feeding the new work to the new entity.

as well as a possible transfer of NSO personnel to L3Harris

So US developed tech to fork people too? How does NSO continue the same work without their people?

Re:

[bloodhawk]

how do you fork a person?

Re:

[ChatHuant]

Well, to start with... oh, you said fork!...

Re: Tiktok 2.0

[wgoodman]

Either way, you stick it in

Re:

[splutty]

Plenty of people will get forked anyway.

Re: Tiktok 2.0

[Rujiel]

"succeeded in the market", lol yeah right, NSO Group succeeded in having its software track (and maybe even kill) a bunch of journalists on behalf of despots, and now the softwate is changing hands from one intelligence cutout to another so that american companies like Apple can't sue anyone for using it.

L3 Harris? Good

[couchslug]

Surveillance is a useful tool. The world is a bad place and humanity generally savage, violent and stupid. I prefer my government outgun the many enemies of civilization.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem is your government IS one of the many enemies of civilization.

Re: L3 Harris? Good

[wgoodman]

As someone in the US, I'd really like that as well.

Re:

[bonedonut]

but what about when the government decides that the people they supposedly represent become 'enemies of civilization'?

Re:

[gweihir]

You should read up on, say, the 3rd Reich, Russia, North Korea, China, etc. and then consider whether you really want that.

ends

[awwshit]

The ends should not always justify the means.

Re: ends

[Grokew]

I agree. Why should the govt keep accumulating power? It's only function should be to adequately manage the resources of the country in order to make the life of the citizens better, more productive, and safe. What we have now is a government focused on perpetuating it's existence by any means necessary, including lying, spying on it's citizens, meddling in the affairs of other countries (causing more problems than it solves), and manipulating it's citizens through disinformation.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[awwshit]

https://hdwallpaperim.com/wp-c... [hdwallpaperim.com]

Re:

[gweihir]

They obviously do not in general. But the ends can _pay_ for the means and that is obviously as far as the morals of the typical business-person and politician go...

Re:

[couchslug]

Necessity knows no law. There is zero intel benefit in renouncing information access in a completely and permanently hostile world. It's fun for teenagers and adults who think like them to draw false equivalency between the US and genocidal (Uighers) regimes like Beijing or the Kremlin (Ukraine) but perfection is impractical and impossible so what remains is a balancing act.

Technology will exist. One side renouncing it won't make it go away and merely defers to enemies.

Re:

[awwshit]

So a race to the bottom?

And then...

[divide overflow]

So what's to keep L3Harris from selling the company to a Chinese firm?
Just asking.

Re:

[Errol backfiring]

The Chinese themselves. They probably have something way more intrusive already.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

It's all been leaked anyway. A lot of the malware we see today, especially ransomware, is based on NSA and CIA tools.

D-Fence!

[Gravis Zero]

It's spelled "defense".

Re:

[bloodhawk]

only in the US. So really depends on who wrote the article. In most of the world it is spelt Defence. As this seems to be from a British owned media outlet then Defence is the correct spelling.

Re:

[CaptQuark]

It also seemed fairly obvious when the summary quoted "discussions were centred on a sale" that this was from a non-US publication and the spelling of Defence was consistent with that source.

Re:

[splutty]

Only in English (Simplified).

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Defence is correct as the article is from the Guardian. probably written for all their outlets, as such it makes sense to use the most accepted spelling rather than an American specific one.