Jack Recider

SS7 attacks are really fascinating. I'm not going to get bogged down into the details of how they work, but real quick, SS7 is a way to exploit mobile carriers into getting info on the users or even taking over their phone number. And I believe this company that Tal started, Circles, was using SS7 attacks to collect data from targets and intercept messages and phone calls.

Well, this became quite the service. So much so that NSO Group was like, hey, that's cool. Can we buy it? Now, NSO Group is someone I've covered in detail before. That's episode 100. And it's actually the most listened to episode of this show. But to quickly recap who they are, NSO Group makes spyware called Pegasus and then sells it to governments around the world. who then, well, spy on people.

Well, this became quite the service. So much so that NSO Group was like, hey, that's cool. Can we buy it? Now, NSO Group is someone I've covered in detail before. That's episode 100. And it's actually the most listened to episode of this show. But to quickly recap who they are, NSO Group makes spyware called Pegasus and then sells it to governments around the world. who then, well, spy on people.

It infects the phone and then gives the government full visibility into it. So when NSO saw how nifty this Circles company was, they purchased the company from Tal for $140 million. Now, what would you do if you just sold your company for $140 million? Well, I'd move to a nice warm island somewhere. And that's just what Tal did, too.

It infects the phone and then gives the government full visibility into it. So when NSO saw how nifty this Circles company was, they purchased the company from Tal for $140 million. Now, what would you do if you just sold your company for $140 million? Well, I'd move to a nice warm island somewhere. And that's just what Tal did, too.

He moved to Cyprus, which is an island nation just off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. But while there, he started talking with another Israeli named Abraham Avni. Abraham was a businessman and started a company called Pegasus Flight Center in Cyprus. I think they did charter planes. And together, Tal and Abraham started a new project, a surveillance tool.

He moved to Cyprus, which is an island nation just off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. But while there, he started talking with another Israeli named Abraham Avni. Abraham was a businessman and started a company called Pegasus Flight Center in Cyprus. I think they did charter planes. And together, Tal and Abraham started a new project, a surveillance tool.

It might also be a weird spelling for whisper. Anyway, Tal started advertising this mobile surveillance technology. And that's when Forbes is like, hey, that looks interesting. Do you mind showing us on camera what you're working on? And he's like, sure, come on out. So Forbes goes to Cyprus and interviews him.

It might also be a weird spelling for whisper. Anyway, Tal started advertising this mobile surveillance technology. And that's when Forbes is like, hey, that looks interesting. Do you mind showing us on camera what you're working on? And he's like, sure, come on out. So Forbes goes to Cyprus and interviews him.

This video is wild. It's one of those that when you watch it, your jaw just drops and you're like, what the hell is this? Tal takes them to his van and then opens the back doors up and there's like two racks of computers, routers, switches, servers. Inside it looks like your classic FBI spy van. There's like a desk and monitors and chairs and electronics panels, antennas. It's nuts.

This video is wild. It's one of those that when you watch it, your jaw just drops and you're like, what the hell is this? Tal takes them to his van and then opens the back doors up and there's like two racks of computers, routers, switches, servers. Inside it looks like your classic FBI spy van. There's like a desk and monitors and chairs and electronics panels, antennas. It's nuts.

And Tal is saying, yeah, so this is a $9 million spy van. And here, let me demonstrate.

And Tal is saying, yeah, so this is a $9 million spy van. And here, let me demonstrate.

He proceeds to use WeSpear to lock on to these two people walking by, and somehow it grabs their data, and he's now in their phones spying on them. It's a crazy piece of technology. But it's even crazier that he was willing to show all this off on camera to be published in Forbes.

He proceeds to use WeSpear to lock on to these two people walking by, and somehow it grabs their data, and he's now in their phones spying on them. It's a crazy piece of technology. But it's even crazier that he was willing to show all this off on camera to be published in Forbes.

Okay, so Forbes publishes this video in September 2019. It rippled through the world, of course, but it also landed on the screens of the people within the Cyprus government. And they watched it in disbelief. A combination of both the police and the intelligence agency of Cyprus was shocked by this. They were like, you're advertising more sophisticated spy tech than we have in our own government.

Okay, so Forbes publishes this video in September 2019. It rippled through the world, of course, but it also landed on the screens of the people within the Cyprus government. And they watched it in disbelief. A combination of both the police and the intelligence agency of Cyprus was shocked by this. They were like, you're advertising more sophisticated spy tech than we have in our own government.

But I think the main thing that the Cyprus government got mad about is the fact that he was advertising this business that was being conducted out of Cyprus. I mean, this whole business is questionable. Espionage is illegal, you know? And here he's selling tools to do it to who knows who. There are a lot of ethics at play here.

But I think the main thing that the Cyprus government got mad about is the fact that he was advertising this business that was being conducted out of Cyprus. I mean, this whole business is questionable. Espionage is illegal, you know? And here he's selling tools to do it to who knows who. There are a lot of ethics at play here.

So a few months after this video aired, the Cyprus police decided to just take it down, take it all down.