LONDON (Dispatches) -- Saudi Arabian authorities are investing hugely in Israeli companies that specialize in developing cyber espionage tools, in a move that could help Riyadh hunt down dissidents and opponents of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS), opposition Saudi website Leaks reports.
Citing informed sources who asked not to be named, the website said Saudi officials have signed contracts with Israeli firms, which include spending millions of dollars annually in order to acquire the most sophisticated cyber espionage and surveillance technologies.
The sources said the growing clandestine relations between Saudis and Israeli cyber espionage companies are meant to prepare the way for the implementation of the so-called CyberIC plan, which is claimed to be aimed at protecting the kingdom’s cybersecurity sector.
The launch of the plan was announced by Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) earlier this week.
The security entity, which is directly linked to the king’s office, said in a statement that the program aims to develop and build national capabilities in the field of cybersecurity, localize cybersecurity technology and training content and stimulate the wider domestic cybersecurity sector.
Last month, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported that an Israeli company had sold cyber-espionage tech to Saudi Arabia, enabling the kingdom to track down political dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners and tap their communications.
The newspaper, citing sources and documents, reported on June 8 that Quadream, led by a former military intelligence official of the occupying regime, had been selling its services to Saudi Arabia for years.
The report said the company uses a front in Cyprus to sell its Reign spyware, which apparently extracts data from iPhones, remotely controls the camera, and eavesdrops and tracks the locations of the device users without their knowledge.