ALL ARTICLES - ISRAEL

• ISRAEL/JORDAN - Shin Bet boss caught out in Aqaba

• RUSSIA/FINLAND - Putin rewards his envoys to Finland

• CHINA - Xi prepares for possible war with changes to military legal system

• RUSSIA - FSB steps up surveillance of IT operators

• UNITED STATES - OFAC works towards better public-private interaction

• FRANCE/ARABIA - Tensions over alcohol supply chains

Paragon hires Holland & Knight to remain in Washington's good graces 

Backed by Israeli ex-prime minister Ehud Barak, cyberintelligence specialist Paragon has managed to remain on good terms with Washington. It nonetheless brought on a lobbying firm with a good track record in avoiding sanctions, Holland & Knight.

'Team Jorge' revelations turn spotlight on avatar market's technological and legal difficulties 

The series of investigations published about the cyber influence industry last week by journalists' collective Forbidden Stories put the emphasis on the industry's use of avatars to achieve its ends. Even before this, however, the industry was struggling with a growing number of technical and legal challenges.

OSINT experts hold their breath as Bright Data-Meta lawsuit plays out 

In its latest battle against open source intelligence firms harvesting data from its platforms, US social networking giant Meta has filed a number of lawsuits that could have a significant effect on how OSINT operates.

• HERZLIYA/DUBAI - Israeli start-up Bold Analytics takes first steps at ISS World Middle East & Africa

• ABU DHABI - National Space Fund gets Council of Ministers approval
  

• PARIS - Citalid makes first foray in Gulf at GISEC

• NEW YORK - David Hochhauser to head Convexum's US branch

Abu Dhabi ready to bankroll Israeli-Albanian cyber teamwork 

Under pressure from cyberattacks from Iran, Albania has strengthened its cyber partnership with Israel. The small-budget country could get a welcome financial boost from the United Arab Emirates to help it acquire this Israeli expertise.

Israel's NSO and Candiru eye new Indian interceptions contract 

The Israeli cyberintelligence firm NSO Group is circling a tender with India's Research & Analysis Wing, but Indian officials are reticent to team with the company behind the Pegasus spyware. Candiru, which is close to NSO, would also like a slice of the action.

Israeli intelligence mobilised in response to renewed violence 

Worried Israeli senior security officials have warned Benjamin Netanyahu that the country's new far-right government's punitive response to Palestinian strikes may worsen the security situation.

• NORWAY/FRANCE/RUSSIA - Russian defector's story challenged
  

• ISRAEL/JORDAN - Shin Bet director joins Netanyahu on reassurance mission in Amman
  

• UNITED STATES - Intelligence services revise their integration procedures
  

• UNITED STATES - Congress scrutinises DIA's HR management
  

Like Intellexa, Merlinx collaborates with Bangladeshi intelligence 

Israeli spyware firm Merlinx, acquired in 2021 by Israeli-US cloud data company OwnBackup, has been supplying its tools to Bangladesh's intelligence service via Israeli-PC integrator Prelysis. Its rival Intellexa was exposed this month for doing business with the same service.

Former NSO cyber experts reunite in new startup Bold, backed by Israeli businessman Shlomi Fogel 

In the wake of NSO Group's Pegasus woes, a number of the firm's cyberintelligence veterans have been snapped up by Bold, a startup supported by Israeli real estate magnate Shlomi Fogel, the CEO of Ampa Group.

Israeli OSINT specialist Labyrinth closes despite support of former intelligence chiefs 

Founded in 2018 by Israeli former military intelligence officers, the open source intelligence firm Labyrinth had heavyweight advisers on board in Tamir Pardo, Amos Yadlin and Roni Alsheich, but that didn't prevent its recent demise.

Netanyahu's cabinet pushes for changes to cyber export rules 

Israel's new administration is looking at easing rules governing the export of offensive cybertools, which were tightened in 2021 following international outcry over the use of NSO's Pegasus spyware.

Quadream reels from impact of new regulations 

Just like its competitors NSO Group and Candiru, Quadream is feeling the impact of Israel's new export licence regulations. The company has started shedding its workforce and given up some of its more offensive operations.

Meta threat report puts OSINT specialists under the spotlight 

The US technology giant's December threat report highlights several open source intelligence (OSINT) firms, from Social Links to Cyberglobes and Avalanche, marking a shift in the relatively benevolent view of the practice observers have taken until now.

Ex-spy chiefs to boost Israeli business in UAE 

With the development of closer relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in the defence and cyber sectors, a number of firms are looking to cash in on the situation. To help them, some have called in former Israeli security officials.

Israeli cyber-intelligence tries to get back on top in Indo-Pacific region 

Looking for fresh fields after restrictions on exports, Israel's cyber sector is turning to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.