Cytrox Established in North Macedonia as NSO Competitor
Cytrox is established as a startup in North Macedonia with initial funding from Israel Aerospace Industries, creating a new front for Israeli intelligence-linked spyware development. CEO Ivo Malinkovski, a 30-year-old from Skopje, leads operations while the company begins developing Predator spyware to compete with NSO Group’s Pegasus. On October 6, 2017, Cytrox and Cyshark formally request authorization from North Macedonia’s Ministry of Interior for manufacturing, sale, resale, and export of surveillance software, despite government claims of being unaware of the operations.
Key Actors
Sources (4)
- Pegasus vs. Predator: Dissident Doubly-Infected iPhone Reveals Cytrox Mercenary Spyware (2021-12-16)
- Predator Spyware Firm Intellexa Resurgent After U.S. Sanctions (2024-01-01)
- US Sanctions Firms from Greece, North Macedonia Linked to Spyware Consortium (2024-03-06)
- Two European Spyware Firms Added to US Export Blacklist (2023-07-25)
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