US adds spyware developers Intellexa, Cytrox to blacklist

The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security has updated its Entity List to include spyware developers Intellexa and Cytrox AD due to threats posed by their commercial surveillance tools to U.S. national security, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Inclusion in the Entity List would limit commodity, technology, and software access for both Intellexa and Cytrox, which will also be compelled to adhere to stringent licensing requirements, according to the Commerce Department. Intellexa and Cytrox have been blacklisted nearly two years after spyware firms Candiru and NSO Group were added by the Commerce Department to its Entity List. "We remain laser-focused on stemming the proliferation of digital tools for repression. Considering the impact of surveillance tools and other technologies on international human rights, I am pleased to announce these additions to our Entity List," said Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez.