US removes three spyware-linked executives from sanctions list – and there’s no explanation why | Daily Reports Online
- OFAC removed Merom Harpaz, Andrea Gambazzi, and Sara Hamou from its sanctions list
- They were previously sanctioned for alleged ties to Predator spyware via Intellexa Consortium
- Predator spyware remains active; recent reports show targeting of a Pakistani human rights lawyer
Merom Harpaz, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, and Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou – three individuals who were sanctioned by the US for alleged links to commercial spyware products, have had their bans lifted recently.
In a new press release published by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) earlier this week, it was briefly stated that these three were deleted from OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.
The announcement did not explain what changed and why these three are no longer under sanctions.
When a person is placed on the OFAC SDN list, any assets they have under US jurisdiction are frozen, US persons and companies are generally prohibited from doing business with them, and violations can lead to serious civil or criminal penalties.
News of the sanctions first broke in March 2024, when it was said that Intellexa Consortium, the company behind the notorious Predator spyware, was blacklisted. Among the individuals sanctioned at the time was Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou, a corporate off-shoring specialist providing managerial services.
Spyware remains active
Half a year later, in September 2024, the US government initiated a new round of sanctions which included, among others, Merom Harpaz (top executive in the consortium), and Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi (the beneficial owner of Thalestris Limited and Intellexa Limited, members of the Intellexa Consortium).
Other members and business entities sanctioned at the time were not mentioned this time around.
Predator is a piece of commercial spyware that grants access to data stored and transmitted from target devices such as smartphones. It is a potent piece of malware that works without victim interaction and was allegedly often sold to authoritarian governments targeting political opponents, dissidents, journalists, human rights activists, and similar individuals.
The sanctions don’t seem to be working that well though, since reports from just a few weeks ago said a Pakistani human rights lawyer was targeted with the spyware via WhatsApp.
Via The Hacker News
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