U.S. Treasury issued fresh sanctions against entities linked to the Intellexa Consortium

U.S. Treasury issued fresh sanctions against entities linked to the Intellexa Consortium

The U.S. Department of Treasury issued new sanctions against five executives and one entity linked to the Intellexa Consortium.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new sanctions against five individuals and one entity associated with the Intellexa Consortium for their role in developing, operating, and distributing commercial spyware.

The Intellexa Consortium was created in 2019, it has acted as a marketing umbrella for various offensive cyber companies that provide commercial spyware and surveillance tools designed for targeted and mass surveillance campaigns. The name “Predator” spyware was used to refer to a collection of surveillance tools that allows to compromise victims’ devices through zero-click attacks.

Predator spyware is known for its extensive data-stealing and surveillance capabilities.

The Department of the Treasury states that commercial spyware poses a significant threat to the national security of the United States.

The fresh package of sanctions issued by the U.S. government is part of the effort against commercial spyware vendors.

“These designations complement concerted U.S. government actions against commercial spyware vendors, including previous sanctions against individuals and entities associated with the Intellexa Consortium; the Department of Commerce’s addition of commercial spyware vendors to the Entity List; and the Department of State’s visa ban policy targeting those who misuse or profit from the misuse of commercial spyware, subsequently exercised on thirteen individuals.” reads the press release published by the OFAC.  

The US government sanctioned the following individuals and entities linked to the Intellexa Consortium:

Aliada Group Inc., a company that facilitated significant financial transactions within the Consortium. Felix Bitzios, an owner and manager of Intellexa S.A., involved in supplying Predator to foreign governments. Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, owner of Thalestris Limited and Intellexa Limited, both part of the Intellexa Consortium. Merom Harpaz, a senior Intellexa executive and manager of Intellexa S.A. Panagiota Karaoli, director of Intellexa entities under Thalestris Limited. Artemis Artemiou, a manager at Intellexa S.A. and Cytrox Holdings.

The sanctions also targeted financial entities linked to the Intellexa Consortium’s sale of surveillance software. Aliada Group Inc. facilitated major financial transactions for the Consortium, while Thalestris Limited processed transactions on behalf of other Intellexa Consortium entities.

“The Intellexa Consortium is a complex international web of decentralized companies that built and commercialized a comprehensive suite of highly invasive spyware products, primarily marketed under the brand-name “Predator.”” continues the press release.

In March 2024, the US Government sanctioned the Intellexa Consortium’s Israeli founder, Tal Jonathan Dilian, and Polish corporate specialist, Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou.

The US government also sanctioned the following companies:

Intellexa S.A. is a Greece-based software development company within the Intellexa Consortium and has exported its surveillance tools to authoritarian regimes. Intellexa Limited is an Ireland-based company within the Intellexa Consortium and acts as a technology reseller and holds assets on behalf of the consortium. Cytrox AD is a North Macedonia-based company within the Intellexa Consortium and acts as a developer of the consortium’s Predator spyware. Cytrox Holdings Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag (Cytrox Holdings ZRT) is a Hungary-based entity within the Intellexa Consortium. Cytrox Holdings ZRT previously developed the Predator spyware for the group before production moved to Cytrox AD in North Macedonia. Thalestris Limited is an Ireland-based entity within the Intellexa Consortium that holds distribution rights to the Predator spyware and acts as a financial holding company for the Consortium.   

In February 2024, the U.S. State Department announced it is implementing a new policy to impose visa restrictions on individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware.

The policy underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to addressing the misuse of surveillance software, which poses a significant threat to society.

The policy specifically addresses the abuse of commercial spyware for unlawfully surveilling, harassing, suppressing, or intimidating individuals.

Visa restrictions target individuals believed to facilitate or derive financial benefit from the misuse of commercial spyware and also surveillance companies that act on behalf of governments.

The restrictions are extended to the immediate family members of the targeted individuals, including spouses and children of any age.

In March 2023, the US Government issued an Executive Order on the prohibition on use by the United States Government of commercial spyware that poses risks to national security.

In July 2023, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added surveillance technology vendors Intellexa and Cytrox to the Entity List for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems.

The Entity List maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is a trade control list created and maintained by the U.S. government. It identifies foreign individuals, organizations, companies, and government entities that are subject to specific export controls and restrictions due to their involvement in activities that threaten the U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.

The U.S. Government warns of the key role that surveillance technology plays in surveillance activities that can lead to repression and other human rights abuses.

The Commerce Department’s action targeted the above companies because their technology could contribute to the development of surveillance tools that pose a risk of misuse in violations or abuses of human rights.

The financial entities added to the Entity List include Intellexa S.A. in Greece, Cytrox Holdings Crt in Hungary, Intellexa Limited in Ireland, and Cytrox AD in North Macedonia.

In early September 2024, Recorded Future researchers warned that the Predator spyware has resurfaced with fresh infrastructure after a decline caused by US sanctions against Intellexa Consortium.

Recorded Future reported that the decline was likely associated with changes in TTPs adopted by the company in an attempt to evade detection.

“This resurgence highlights Predator’s ongoing use by customers in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola.” reads the Recorded Future’s report. “While Predator continues to pose significant privacy and security risks, especially to high-profile individuals like politicians and executives, new infrastructure changes make tracking users more difficult. “

Predator spyware operators added several layers to enhance their infrastructure, anonymize operations and evade detection, making it harder to identify which countries are using the spyware.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Intellexa Consortium)

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