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Which Israeli companies develop spyware used against iPhones and what are their tools called?
Executive summary
Multiple Israeli-founded firms are repeatedly identified in reporting as makers of high‑end spyware that can compromise iPhones: NSO Group (maker of Pegasus) and at least two others — QuaDream (REIGN) and Paragon Solutions (Graphite) — are named in the coverage [1] [2] [3]. Reporting describes Pegasus as specifically compatible with iPhone/iPad and able to be delivered via “zero‑click” or remote exploits; QuaDream’s REIGN and Paragon’s Graphite are reported as comparable tools used against iPhones in some investigations [1] [2] [3].
1. NSO Group — Pegasus: the best‑documented iPhone exploit
NSO Group, an Israeli company, is the most widely reported vendor linked with iPhone attacks through its Pegasus spyware; Apple, researchers at Citizen Lab, and many news outlets have documented Pegasus exploiting iPhone vulnerabilities, prompting emergency Apple patches and legal action — Apple sued NSO and has described forced‑entry iPhone exploits used by the company’s tools [1] [4] [5]. Pegasus is described as able to give an operator extensive access to a target’s phone — messages, microphone/camera, location — and is treated by Israel as controlled technology [1] [6] [5].
2. QuaDream — REIGN: a quieter rival with similar capabilities
Reporting by Reuters and follow‑ups identify QuaDream, a lesser‑known Israeli firm founded by former NSO employees, as selling a product called REIGN that researchers say could take similar control of smartphones and exploited iPhone flaws contemporaneously with Pegasus [2] [7]. Reuters’ reporting says QuaDream’s zero‑click capability seemed “on par” with NSO’s and that it abused an Apple vulnerability that was also used by NSO [2].
3. Paragon Solutions — Graphite: newer name in the headlines
Paragon Solutions is named in recent coverage as another Israeli‑origin spyware maker; Reuters and The Guardian reporting referenced Paragon’s Graphite spyware and described allegations that Graphite was used to target journalists and civil society in at least some cases, and that the company has sought contracts with U.S. agencies [3]. The Guardian and related summaries say Graphite was implicated in targeting roughly 90 people via WhatsApp detection and that Paragon had a contract with U.S. immigration authorities before scrutiny paused that deal [3].
4. Other named platforms and the broader Israeli industry
Beyond NSO, QuaDream and Paragon, reporting and commentary reference other Israeli‑linked products such as Candiru and Predator in broader overviews of the country’s surveillance industry — these outlets present an ecosystem of companies producing tools to exploit mobile devices, sometimes via links, app updates, or browser exploits [8] [9]. However, the provided sources offer strongest technical and legal documentation for Pegasus, with varying levels of detail for the others [1] [2] [3].
5. Evidence, disputes and legal fallout: what the record shows
Apple researchers and independent groups such as Citizen Lab and Amnesty have publicly analyzed Pegasus infections and vulnerabilities that enabled iPhone compromise; Apple patched exploits and sued NSO, and courts and regulators have taken action — for example, Meta won damages related to NSO’s use of WhatsApp exploits in litigation noted in reporting [1] [5] [6]. NSO and other vendors typically maintain they sell only to government clients for lawful uses and deny wrongdoing; reporting records those denials alongside documented misuse allegations [4] [5].
6. Limitations, open questions and competing narratives
Available sources name NSO (Pegasus), QuaDream (REIGN) and Paragon (Graphite) as developers of iPhone‑capable spyware and provide investigative, legal and technical reporting about their tools [1] [2] [3]. But coverage varies: NSO/Pegasus has extensive public forensic analysis and legal records [1] [5], while information on QuaDream/REIGN and Paragon/Graphite is sparser and often based on investigative reporting and security researcher assessments rather than the same volume of public court records [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention every alleged vendor in the wider market; claims about other tools (e.g., Predator, Candiru) appear in some summaries but are not given the same technical detail in the provided set [8] [9].
7. What readers should take away
The consensus across the cited reporting is that at least three Israeli‑founded firms — NSO Group (Pegasus), QuaDream (REIGN) and Paragon (Graphite) — have produced surveillance software capable of compromising iPhones, and that Pegasus in particular has been documented, patched and litigated at length [1] [2] [3]. There are disputes and denials from the companies about misuse and intent, and the level of public evidence differs by firm; readers should weigh detailed forensic and legal reporting (strongest for Pegasus) more heavily than single investigative claims when assessing certainty [1] [5] [2].