It is said that Mossad used the Pegasus spyware to unofficially hack cell phones when Yossi Cohen was head of Israel's intelligence agency. Employees claimed that Cohen has never been seen in NSO's offices, but his subordinates have shown great interest in the company's hacking capabilities.
The company’s employees said Mossad officials repeatedly asked NSO to hack into some phones for them, and said they didn't know why these hacks were requested. The Mossad, Israel Security Agency Shin Bet and the army have their own phone hacking tools that they developed even before the creation of NSO.
Employees also said that Mossad officials frequently visited the company's headquarters in Herzliya, sometimes to learn about the spyware, sometimes with officials from foreign countries in an attempt to sell them the software.
The company used existing tools to develop the Pegasus software, which it then sold around the world. It is possible that the Mossad had difficulty hacking into a particular phone with its own tools or that it was engaged in unofficial intelligence gathering.
Since last month, the Israeli press has reported on the use of the spyware not only abroad but also in Israel, including allegations of the police taking remote control of the smartphones of Israeli citizens without a warrant.
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