2
The Israeli Cyber Stalker Industrial Complex
posted ago by TheDailyDirt ago by TheDailyDirt +2 / -0

Just the Tip: Of The Berg

There’s a place where the lines between government, military, and private enterprise blur into a Kafkaesque nightmare of surveillance, manipulation, and outright skullduggery.

Israel, that tiny nation with the geopolitical footprint of Godzilla, has become a global powerhouse in the cyber-industrial complex. Its firms are the go-to vendors for dictators, oligarchs, and anyone else with a few million bucks to burn and a burning desire to spy on their enemies—or, more often, their own citizens. These companies are staffed by the alumni of Unit 8200, Israel’s elite signals intelligence unit, which is basically the Ivy League of cyber-espionage. These folks don’t just graduate; they spin off into the private sector like In Q Tel Silicon Valley bros, except instead of selling you ads for overpriced mattresses, they’re selling governments the tools to hack your phone, track your movements, and manipulate your online existence.

These firms operate in the gray zones of international law, where ethics are lacking, to say the least. They’ve been caught spying on journalists, harassing activists, and propping up some of the world’s most repressive regimes. And they do it all with all the intensified hand rubbing you'd expect, because hey, "business is business."

Today's shadowy Death Squads couldn't be happier.

The List: Private Israeli Security Firms and Their Misadventures

NSO Group

  • Known for the Pegasus spyware, used for surveillance of journalists, activists, and political dissidents.
  • Key Figures: Shalev Hulio (Co-founder), Omri Lavie (Co-founder).

Black Cube

  • A private intelligence agency involved in high-profile scandals, including the Harvey Weinstein case and espionage in Romania.
  • Key Figures: Dan Zorella (Co-founder), Avi Yanus (Co-founder).

Cellebrite

  • Specializes in digital forensics and mobile device data extraction.
  • Key Figures: Yossi Carmil (Former CEO), Yaron Shlomov (Current CEO).

Mer Security and Communication Systems

  • Provides cybersecurity and intelligence services, including lobbying for controversial regimes.
  • Key Figures: David Dahan (CEO).

Verint Systems

  • Offers surveillance and analytics software, often used by governments for monitoring communications.
  • Key Figures: Dan Bodner (CEO).

Psy-Group (Defunct)

  • Engaged in online influence operations, including creating fake social media profiles for astroturfing.
  • Key Figures: Royi Burstien (Former CEO).

Candiru

  • A spyware company linked to the development of tools targeting activists and journalists.
  • Key Figures: Isaac Zack (Chairman), Eitan Achlow (CEO)

Paragon

  • Develops tools for extracting data from mobile devices, similar to Cellebrite.
  • Key Figures: Idan Nurick (Nash, Almeda Ventures)

Saito Tech

  • Provides surveillance technology, including tools for intercepting communications.
  • Key Figures: Isaac Zack , Eitan Achlow

Allot Communications

  • Specializes in network intelligence and traffic management, often used for surveillance purposes.
  • Key Figures: Erez Antebi (CEO).

NICE Systems

  • Provides surveillance and analytics software for governments and corporations.
  • Key Figures: Barak Eilam (CEO).

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

  • A defense contractor with a cybersecurity division offering surveillance and intelligence solutions.
  • Key Figures: Yoav Har-Even (CEO).

Elbit Systems

  • A major defense contractor involved in cybersecurity and surveillance technologies.
  • Key Figures: Bezhalel Machlis (CEO).

Cyberbit

  • A subsidiary of Elbit Systems, specializing in cybersecurity and threat detection.
  • Key Figures: Adi Dar (CEO).

SIGA IT Solutions

  • Provides cybersecurity and intelligence solutions to governments and private entities.
  • Key Figures: Amir Samoiloff

BlackSwan Technologies

  • Focuses on AI-driven intelligence and surveillance solutions.
  • Key Figures: Michael Ouliel, Elinoar Ouliel

IntuView

  • Specializes in AI-powered text analysis for intelligence and security purposes.
  • Key Figures: Yoram Schweitzer

Sixgill

  • Provides dark web intelligence and monitoring tools.
  • Key Figures: Avi Kasztan

Terrogence

  • Focuses on counter-terrorism intelligence and online threat monitoring.
  • Key Figures: Shai Arbel

Konfidas

  • A cybersecurity firm offering intelligence and threat analysis services.
  • Key Figures: Ram Levi

Supercom

  • Real-time mapping of individuals, ostensibly criminals, but easily used to spy on anyone worth a dollar to track.
  • Key Figures: Ordan Trabelsi, Barak Trabelsi, Lester Villeneuve.

Fifth Dimension

  • "Predictive policing" and automated discrimination technology to prebunk, deboost, or control virality of individuals as needed. Went to ground and rebranded after ties to Russian oligarchs were exposed.
  • Key Figures: Former army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Ram Ben-Barak, a former deputy head of the Mossad and current member of the Knesset.

SITE Intelligence Group

  • Engages in "Participatory OSINT," artificially inflating extremism to collect on contracts to monitor extremism in a "self-licking ice cream" scheme.
  • Key Figures: Rita Katz and Hey 'Don't Doxx Me Bro' James.

Government-Linked Entities and Units

Unit 8200

  • The Israeli military’s elite signals intelligence (SIGINT) unit, responsible for cyber operations and surveillance. Many Unit 8200 alumni go on to found or work for private cybersecurity firms.
  • Key Figures: Yossi Sariel

Unit 81

  • A technology unit within the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that develops advanced surveillance and cyber tools. Ronen Corman.

Israeli Cyber Directorate

  • A government agency overseeing national cybersecurity and cyber warfare operations.
  • Key Figures: Gaby Portnoy.

Act.IL

  • A platform allegedly backed by the Israeli government and private donors, used for astroturfing and online influence campaigns to promote pro-Israel narratives.
  • Key Figures: Unknown (operates through anonymous users).

JIDF (Jewish Internet Defense Force)

  • A pro-Israel online group accused of engaging in astroturfing and coordinated attacks on critics of Israel.
  • Key Figures: Eyal Zamir

IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

  • Engages in online influence operations to shape public perception of Israel’s military actions.
  • Key Figures: Brigadier General Daniel Hagari

Notable Individuals Involved in Astroturfing and Unethical Internet Manipulations

Brian Glicklich

  • President and CEO of Digital Strategy Ltd, linked to Israeli security firms like Mer Security.

Shalev Hulio

  • Co-founder of NSO Group, implicated in the sale of spyware to authoritarian regimes.

Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus

  • Co-founders of Black Cube, known for deceptive intelligence operations.

Royi Burstien

  • Former CEO of Psy-Group, involved in online influence operations.

Gabi Ashkenazi

  • Former IDF Chief of Staff, involved in shaping Israel’s cybersecurity policies.

Yossi Cohen

  • Former Director of Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, which has been linked to cyber operations.

The Banality of Evil, Israeli Style

So, there you have it—a who’s who of the Israeli cyber-industrial complex, a sprawling network of firms and individuals who’ve turned surveillance and manipulation into a booming export industry. It’s a world where the ends always justify the means. These firms aren’t just selling their wares to tinpot dictators and rogue states. They’re cozied up to Western governments, corporations, and even law enforcement agencies. The tools they’ve developed—spyware, astroturfing platforms, predictive policing algorithms—are being used to erode privacy, stifle dissent, and consolidate power on a global scale. How much tax rate will you withstand before you actually get up from your keyboard and revolt? Israeli Security are shooting for 100% of your income and data, so you can be monetized on top of handing over your life savings.

For all their sophistication, these firms are ultimately peddling the same old tricks. It’s a Faustian bargain, and our "representatives" have all signed on the dotted line on our behalf.

So, the next time you hear about some shiny new cybersecurity tool or a slick online campaign promoting “democracy” or “stability,” take a closer look. Chances are, there’s an Israeli firm behind it.

Welcome to the future, folks. It’s not just Orwellian—it’s Kafkaesque, with a dash of Vonnegutian absurdity. And it’s watching you from your smartphone.

The people involved? Psychopaths. History will remember them as such.

0 comments
0 comments share save hide report block hide replies