QuaDream—Sold zero-click spyware to Saudi Arabia after kingdom lost NSO Pegasus license over Khashoggi murder
In 2021, QuaDream began working with Saudi Arabia following the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Riyadh reportedly lost its NSO Pegasus license after it was allegedly used in the lead-up to Khashoggi's 2018 murder. QuaDream filled the gap with its REIGN spyware capable of zero-click iPhone exploits.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian Compliance | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Press Freedom | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.858 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.57)
Evidence (1 signal)
Sold zero-click spyware to Saudi Arabia after kingdom lost NSO Pegasus license over Khashoggi murder
In 2021, QuaDream began working with Saudi Arabia following the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Riyadh reportedly lost its NSO Pegasus license after it was allegedly used in the lead-up to Khashoggi's 2018 murder. QuaDream filled the gap with its REIGN spyware capable of zero-click iPhone exploits.