Israeli spyware maker QuaDream, iPhone hacking specialist, to close down

Israeli spyware company QuaDream, which allegedly specialises in tools for hacking iPhones for government clients, is closing down, according to media. 

The company has undergone significant downsizing over the past few months, losing entire teams to its competitors as Israel continues to restrict spyware sales under pressure from the US, Haaretz reported. 

Last week, the Citizen Lab - an internet watchdog based at the University of Toronto - published a report revealing that QuaDream’s technology had been used to target journalists and dissidents. 

That report, alongside the Israeli regulations, reportedly caused the company to halt its operations in Israel. 

QuaDream specialises in hacking iPhones with a method that does not require any action on part of the user. 

It is regarded as one of the biggest Israeli producers of spyware and is the largest competitor of the NSO Group - known for its infamous Pegasus software. 

In 2021, it was revealed that QuaDream’s hacking technology was sold to Saudi Arabia through a subsidiary Cypriot firm called InReach. 

A deeper examination of the company revealed there were potential operators of its technology around the world, including in Israel, Singapore, the UAE, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ghana, Mexico and Romania. 

Israel has a booming tech industry that develops a wide variety of spyware. Their espionage technologies have been used around the world, often by governments and law enforcement agencies to spy on critics, activists, and dissidents.