Cytrox Established in North Macedonia as NSO Competitor

confirmed Importance 8/10 ~1 min read 4 sources 5 actors

Intelligence Penetration Surveillance Infrastructure

Cytrox is established as a startup in North Macedonia with initial funding from Israel Aerospace Industries, creating a new front for Israeli intelligence-linked spyware development. CEO Ivo Malinkovski, a 30-year-old from Skopje, leads operations while the company begins developing Predator spyware to compete with NSO Group’s Pegasus. On October 6, 2017, Cytrox and Cyshark formally request authorization from North Macedonia’s Ministry of Interior for manufacturing, sale, resale, and export of surveillance software, despite government claims of being unaware of the operations.

Sources & Citations

[1] Pegasus vs. Predator: Dissident Doubly-Infected iPhone Reveals Cytrox Mercenary Spyware · Dec 16, 2021 Tier 2

[2] Predator Spyware Firm Intellexa Resurgent After U.S. Sanctions · Jan 1, 2024 Tier 1

[3] US Sanctions Firms from Greece, North Macedonia Linked to Spyware Consortium · Mar 6, 2024 Tier 2

[4] Two European Spyware Firms Added to US Export Blacklist · Jul 25, 2023 Tier 1

Tiers Tier 1 court records & gov docs · Tier 2 established outlets · Tier 3 regional & specialty press · Tier 4 opinion or single-source. Methodology →

Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “Cytrox Established in North Macedonia as NSO Competitor.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, January 1, 2017. https://capturecascade.org/event/2017-01-01--cytrox-establishment-north-macedonia-spyware-development/