UPDATE - US sanctions entities associated with Intellexa Commercial Spyware Consortium for role in spyware tech

REVISES HEADLINE, ADDS STATEMENT FROM STATE DEPARTMENT

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Treasury Department said Monday that it imposed sanctions on five individuals and one entity associated with the Intellexa Commercial Spyware Consortium, a spyware firm, for their alleged role in developing, operating and distributing commercial spyware technology.

The technology presents a significant threat to the national security of the US, it said in a statement.

The Treasury Department said the Intellexa Consortium is a complex international web of decentralized companies which built and commercialized highly invasive spyware products primarily marketed under the brand-name “Predator.”

Predator spyware is used to gain access to data stored and transmitted from the target’s device, such as a cellphone, through one-click and zero-click attacks that require no user interaction for the spyware to infect the device, it said.

Successful spyware attacks by Predator can provide the spyware’s operators with access to sensitive information on the victim’s device, including photos, geolocation data, personal messages and microphone records, it added.

"The United States will not tolerate the reckless propagation of disruptive technologies that threatens our national security and undermines the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens," Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith said in the statement.

"We will continue to hold accountable those that seek to enable the proliferation of exploitative technologies, while also encouraging the responsible development of technologies that align with international standards," he added.

The State Department said in a separate statement that the US will not tolerate the misuse of technologies that undermine Americans’ national security or that of its allies, nor the misuse of technologies to perpetrate human rights abuses or undermine freedom of expression.

"The United States remains steadfast in its commitment to use all available tools to counter the misuse of sophisticated surveillance technologies," it said.

"We will continue to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware as we create a pathway for the responsible development of technologies that aligns with the protection of human rights, privacy, and democratic values around the world," it added.

The State Department noted that the recent designations build upon previous sanctions announced on March 5, among other measures including export controls and visa restrictions.