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   US removes three spyware-linked executives from sanctions list - and there's   
   no explanation why   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:05:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Merom Harpaz, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, and Sara Aleksandra   
   Fayssal Hamou are no longer under US sanctions.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Merom Harpaz, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, and Sara Aleksandra   
   Fayssal Hamou - three individuals who were sanctioned by the US for alleged   
   links to commercial spyware products, have had their bans lifted recently.    
      
   In a new press release published by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control   
   (OFAC) earlier this week, it was briefly stated that these three were deleted   
   from OFACs Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.    
      
   The announcement did not explain what changed and why these three are no   
   longer under sanctions.    
      
   When a person is placed on the OFAC SDN list, any assets they have under US   
   jurisdiction are frozen, US persons and companies are generally prohibited   
   from doing business with them, and violations can lead to serious civil or   
   criminal penalties.    
      
   News of the sanctions first broke in March 2024, when it was said that   
   Intellexa Consortium, the company behind the notorious Predator spyware, was   
   blacklisted. Among the individuals sanctioned at the time was Sara Aleksandra   
   Fayssal Hamou, a corporate off-shoring specialist providing managerial   
   services.   
      
   Spyware remains active    
      
   Half a year later, in September 2024, the US government initiated a new round   
   of sanctions which included, among others, Merom Harpaz (top executive in the   
   consortium), and Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi (the beneficial   
   owner of Thalestris Limited and Intellexa Limited, members of the Intellexa   
   Consortium).    
      
   Other members and business entities sanctioned at the time were not mentioned   
   this time around.    
      
   Predator is a piece of commercial spyware that grants access to data stored   
   and transmitted from target devices such as smartphones. It is a potent piece   
   of malware that works without victim interaction and was allegedly often sold   
   to authoritarian governments targeting political opponents, dissidents,   
   journalists, human rights activists, and similar individuals.    
      
   The sanctions dont seem to be working that well though, since reports from   
   just a few weeks ago said a Pakistani human rights lawyer was targeted with   
   the spyware via WhatsApp.    
      
    Via The Hacker News    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/us-removes-three-spyware-linked-executi   
   ves-from-sanctions-list-and-theres-no-explanation-why   
      
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