Cybersecurity reporter Thomas Brewster, writing in Forbes magazine, presents a revealing look at Tal Dilian, former Israeli Intelligence officer and multi-millionaire spy-tech dealer. Now head of company Intellexa, makers of WiSpear, long-range wifi interception software, Dilian’s resume includes a company called Circles, a pioneer in the real-time interception of data from 3G networks. Circles later merged with cyber warfare company NSO in 2014, supposed creators of the infamous Pegasus malware. Now head of Intellexa, Dilian shows off his high-tech surveillance van.
Shadows that covered much of the surveillance industry in the past are starting to lift a bit. Forbes was granted an inside look at Intellexa activities and the $9 Million surveillance van that Dilian is proud of.
On a wildflower-lined gravel track off a quiet thoroughfare in Larnaca, Cyprus, Tal Dillian is ensconced in a blacked-out truck. It’s a converted GMC ambulance, pimped out with millions of dollars of surveillance kit, antennas on top reaching out to learn what it can from any smartphone within a 1-kilometer radius and, at the click of a button, empty them of all the content within.
…in the comfort of his offices in downtown Larnaca … the Intellexa chief is talking up a new age of openness in the spyware industry. That he gave Forbes such unprecedented access to his business over two days is a sign of a notable shift from the taciturn, wary approach previously maintained by the market’s millionaire leaders. Just last month, his former partner Shalev Hulio, CEO of NSO Group, gave interviews to Israeli media and 60 Minutes. “We are here. We will build beautiful systems that will work for the benefit of the good guys and the universe. And we need to say it, and I don’t think we need to hide it,” says Dilian.
…he wants to show off the power of his surveillance kit. His van, which costs between $3.5 million and $9 million, depending on how much spy tech the customer desires, is the A-Team truck spliced with a Bond car.
Dilian claims such tools are designed to snoop on terrorists, drug cartels and the world’s most egregious criminals. But that’s not always the case. Politicians, human rights activists and journalists have been targeted too. Most infamously, associates of Khashoggi and other Saudi Arabian activists were allegedly targeted by stealth iPhone spyware called Pegasus in the lead-up to his torture and slaughter in Istanbul. The mythically themed malware was coded by NSO Group, a company Dilian is closely associated with: His first surveillance business, Circles, merged with NSO in 2014, when U.S. private equity firm took control of both for a total of $250 million. NSO has since strenuously denied having anything to do with Khashoggi’s death.
Read Forbes’ article for more details of the tech used for international surveillance:
Direct link to the above video is [here].
Another article on Intellexa at Cyberscoop: https://www.cyberscoop.com/wispear-wifi-interception-israel-unit-8200/
WiSpear website: https://www.wispear.com/about-us/
More articles by Thomas Brewster: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/