Who Paid for a Mysterious Spy Tool? The FBI, an FBI Inquiry Found.

Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and Adam Goldman / The New York Times

A branch of the hacking firm NSO in Sapir, Israel. The Biden administration put the company on a Commerce Department blacklist in 2021. (photo: Amit Elkayam/NYT)

31 July 23

After a Times report, the bureau canceled its contract with a government contractor that used the tool on its behalf. But questions remain.

When The New York Times reported in April that a contractor had purchased and deployed a spying tool made by NSO, the contentious Israeli hacking firm, for use by the U.S. government, White House officials said they were unaware of the contract and put the F.B.I. in charge of figuring out who might have been using the technology.

After an investigation, the F.B.I. uncovered at least part of the answer: It was the F.B.I.

The deal for the surveillance tool between the contractor, Riva Networks, and NSO was completed in November 2021. Only days before, the Biden administration had put NSO on a Commerce Department blacklist, which effectively banned U.S. firms from doing business with the company. For years, NSO’s spyware had been abused by governments around the world.

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