Ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz attracts more entrepreneurial circles. As announced on Wednesday, he is now co-creating a new start-up with Israel’s Shalev Hulio to ensure the cybersecurity of critical infrastructures. The latter mainly made headlines because of his work as head of the technology company NSO, which monitored hundreds of journalists, politicians and human rights activists in various countries with the so-called Pegasus software.
As the Israeli news site “Globes” reports, Kurz will act as the “President” and “Business Developer” of the new company Dream Security. Kurz met Hulio earlier this year when he visited Israel to invest in startups.
However, instead of giving him a recommendation, Hulio allegedly asked him to take a stake in his new cybersecurity venture, opening the door for European governments and infrastructure companies.
Critical infrastructures as business premises
The company now aims to digitally secure critical infrastructures such as gas, oil and water systems and protect them from ransom or terrorist attacks. “During my time as Chancellor, I have witnessed many attacks on governments, as well as on production facilities and power plants, most of which were not publicized in the media,” Kurz declared his dedication to “Globes.”
He does not do this with an unknown personality: Shalev Hulio is best known to the world public for his work as head of the technology company NSO. This developed the spy software called Pegasus, which is able to read all data from mobile phones that are attacked with it.
Explosive past of the business partner
In addition, Pegasus can silently activate the camera and microphone of the infected device. A search by international media last year shows how explosive this software is: secret services and police bodies in 40 countries used it to spy on selected mobile phones of dissidents, journalists and politicians.
A party friend of Sebastian Kurz also commented on the serious allegations of espionage. European minister Karoline Edtstadtler (ÖVP) called the espionage attacks “very disturbing”. This is a development “that we also observe with care in Austria”, according to the minister.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
