Executive Summary

State actors will almost certainly not use Israeli spyware firm Paragon for the same purposes as NSO’s Pegasus. Although Pegasus pitches itself as a way to prevent crime and ensure national security, it made headlines in 2021 due to its misuse by several governments. Additionally, the zero-click malware eliminates the need for user interaction, making the software highly malicious. In response, the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) placed NSO on the Entity List in 2021, barring it from trading with U.S. companies without government approval.

Furthermore, Paragon’s military-grade hacking software, Graphite, is licensed exclusively to states and rivals NSO Group’s Pegasus software. Pegasus’s DOC listing left a gap in the market for a high-end surveillance product, which Paragon filled. 

Images Sourced From: R3D, microsiervos, ICE