A database released by Amnesty International and partner organizations reveals how spyware is used to enable state terror attacks in multiple countries. The report says NSO Group spyware helps facilitate state terror attacks and curtail dissidents.

NSO Group is an Israeli company being accused of providing the resources needed for state attacks. Activists and lawyers allege that NSO helps governments and other authorities spy on citizens and act swiftly against dissidents. Harassment, break-ins, intimidation and murder are part of the attack.

Founded in 2010, NSO Group uses zero-day vulnerabilities to break into iOS. Zero-day vulnerabilities are the ones not known to the hardware or software makers. Companies like NSO allegedly use the exploits to help governments act against citizens. Typically the zero-day exploits are sold for a large sum of money in the black market. The Israeli company is reportedly buying exploits to build its Pegasus spyware.

In its defense, NSO says its tools, including Pegasus, are exclusively sold to the governments and law enforcement agencies. Eventually, it is used to hack into smartphones and collect private information like emails or record phone calls. NSO says, “its technology is a valuable tool to prevent terrorism and curb violent crime.”

A new database released on Saturday by Amnesty International, Citizen Lab and Forensic Architecture documents more than 60 cases in which NSO’s spyware has been used to target dissidents and government critics from countries including Rwanda, Togo, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Morocco and India.

The new database by the human rights groups, titled “Digital Violence: How the NSO Group Enables State Terror,” is based on an analysis of legal files, interviews with alleged victims, export licenses, news reports and procurement records.

NSO Denies Allegations

The rights group claims the use of NSO spyware has resulted in an array of violations, including arrests, assaults, and in some cases even murder. Furthermore, the company is also blamed as an accomplice in the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Time after time, NSO has denied that attackers used its spyware to murder Jamal Khashoggi. The company says it is investing claims of abuse and has refused to sell its spyware to 55 countries.