The Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group has been accused of selling sophisticated digital surveillance technology to Saudi Arabia and other countries that have allegedly used it to attack dissidents and journalists.
Despite the controversy, the company is extremely profitable, earning roughly $125 million in profit last year, according to a source who has seen its financials.
NSO Group's founders and alumni have spawned a web of more than a dozen similar startups, many of which operate in secret, that sell attacks against routers, computers, smart speakers, and other digital devices.
