The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday the imposition of sanctions, the first of its kind, against Greek-based commercial spyware company Intellexa. The sanctions target two individuals and five legal entities associated with the illegal surveillance software Predator.
Notably, the export of the Predator spyware through Greece “to authoritarian regimes,” is mentioned in the sanctions’ decision, all while systematic efforts are made in Greece to downplay the Predator scandal implicating Grigoris Dimitriadis, the nephew and former close aide of the country’s Prime Minister.
The U.S. government said the individuals and the vendor were involved in targeting U.S. government officials.
The sanctions target the Intellexa Consortium and the individuals for their role in “developing, operating and distributing commercial spyware technology,” which the U.S. government says was used against journalists, dissidents, policy experts, and U.S. officials.
The sanctions effectively freeze any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bar Americans from dealing with them. Those who engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions. The company had already been subject to trade restrictions under measures imposed by the Commerce Department in July 2023.
A relevant statement from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s official website read: “The proliferation of commercial spyware poses distinct and growing security risks to the United States and has been misused by foreign actors to enable human rights abuses and the targeting of dissidents around the world for repression and reprisal.
“Today’s actions represent a tangible step forward in discouraging the misuse of commercial surveillance tools, which increasingly present a security risk to the United States and our citizens,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
These sanctions, imposed for the first time on a company producing commercial espionage software, freeze the assets in the U.S. of the above individuals and entities.
According to a report by Google last month, the Predator spyware by Intellexa has been sold to governments in Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Serbia, Spain, and Indonesia.
The following two individuals and legal entities have been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury:
- Tal Jonathan Dilian (Dilian) is the founder of the Intellexa Consortium and is the architect behind its spyware tools. The consortium is a complex international web of decentralized companies controlled either fully or partially by Dilian, including through Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou.
- Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou (Hamou), is a corporate off-shoring specialist who has provided managerial services to the Intellexa Consortium, including renting office space in Greece on behalf of Intellexa S.A. Hamou holds a leadership role at Intellexa S.A., Intellexa Limited, and Thalestris Limited.
- Intellexa S.A. is a Greece-based software development company within the Intellexa Consortium and has exported its surveillance tools to authoritarian regimes. Intellexa S.A. was added to the Department of Commerce Entity List on July 18, 2023, for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems, threatening the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide.
- 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. Intellexa Limited was added to the Department of Commerce Entity List on July 18, 2023, for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems, threatening the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide.
- Cytrox AD is a North Macedonia-based company within the Intellexa Consortium and acts as a developer of the consortium’s Predator spyware. Cytrox AD was added to the Department of Commerce Entity List on July 18, 2023, for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems, threatening the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide.
- 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. Cytrox Holdings ZRT was added to the Department of Commerce Entity List on July 18, 2023, for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems, threatening the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide.
- 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.
