The latest discovery of new Predator spyware-related equipment suggests that the surveillance technology is still finding new clients, despite US penalties imposed on its backers since July 2023.
In a report published earlier this month, analysts at Insikt Group claimed to have traced the sophisticated malware to operators in Mozambique for the first time. According to Insikt, Mozambique is one of many African countries where the spyware has spread, with the continent home to more than half of all known Predator users.
According to Insikt, a new discovery in the probe revealed "the first technical connection made between Predator infrastructure and corporate entities associated with the Intellexa Consortium," referring to the group believed to be backing Predator. The United States sanctioned several entities, including Intellexa.
The disclosure stems from an Insikt investigation into entities associated with Dvir Horef Hazan, a Czech bistro owner, entrepreneur, and programmer who, according to a Czech news source, worked for Intellexa. A Greek law enforcement investigation into the alleged Predator targeting of journalist Thanasis Koukakis revealed that Intellexa moved over €3 million (around $3.5 million) to Hazan and his businesses.
The details of Hazan's alleged work for Intellexa are unclear, but Insikt claims to have identified a link between Predator's multi-tiered architecture and a Czech company that is indirectly tied to Hazan.
The researchers claim that Predator's basic infrastructure has stayed mostly unaltered, however there is evidence that operators have modified the spyware to make it trickier to detect on a device. Insikt's recent data support previous reports that Predator activities continued following the US government's steps in July 2023.
Initially, the Commerce Department placed Intellexa and a subsidiary unit, Cytrox, on the Entity List, which limits how companies conduct business with the United States and tarnish their reputation. Then, in 2024, federal agencies acted twice to ban Predator-related organisations.
