"Most of this data is shared internally across the
IDF (as well as sometimes externally, cf. 3.3 below) to
the Unit’s relevant stakeholders, whether combat
troops, decision-makers or other intelligence agencies
such as Mossad. Or as Yair Cohen, who served 33 years
in Unit 8200, the last five (2001–05) as its commander,
put it, "90% of the intelligence material in Israel is
coming from 8200 […] there isn't a major operation,
from the Mossad or any intelligence security agency,
that 8200 is not involved in"
>"...Mossad, on the other hand, is a civilian intelligence service and I'm told there's a strong tradition that its members don't freelance their services after leaving..."
Tradition is not what it used to be:
"Black Cube: The Bumbling Spies of the ‘Private Mossad’"
"...Despite some missteps, Black Cube “has to turn clients away
because it cannot service all the demands,” said Mr. Halevy,
a former head of the Mossad, an Israeli government intelligence agency. He said Black Cube has worked on 300 cases since being founded in 2010 by two former Israeli military intelligence officers,
Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus..."
"Harvey Weinstein hired ex-Mossad agents to suppress allegations, report claims"
It's an important distinction. The fact that huge numbers of people rotate through the hacking side of 8200 (like the NSA, vast majority of 8200 members don't work on that) is what drives the supply.
Intelligence services typically have less turnover. Though that is changing, particularly for NSA, where people leave to go to contractors.
Also, frankly, describing NSO as ex Mossad just makes phone malware sound much more complicated than it is and much harder to stop. At the end of the day, its software, written by people in much the same way any software is written. It just exploits mistakes other software devs made so that it can run.
"by two former Israeli military intelligence officers, Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus."
emphasis on "military intelligence officers" i.e. not mossad. this is like mixing up the CIA and FBI. to an outsider they might appear the same, but that's not really the case.
"Ilan Mizrachi, a former deputy head of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, said that he sees nothing inherently wrong with former intelligence operatives working for civilian enterprises. “Some people I know went into journalism, some are consultants,” he said. “Among many other professions, some work for companies like Black Cube.”
Quote from the article:
"Despite some missteps, Black Cube “has to turn clients away because it cannot service all the demands,” said Mr. Halevy, a former head of the Mossad, an Israeli government intelligence agency..."
"The Israeli Unit 8200 An OSINT-based study" https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/c...
"Most of this data is shared internally across the IDF (as well as sometimes externally, cf. 3.3 below) to the Unit’s relevant stakeholders, whether combat troops, decision-makers or other intelligence agencies such as Mossad. Or as Yair Cohen, who served 33 years in Unit 8200, the last five (2001–05) as its commander, put it, "90% of the intelligence material in Israel is coming from 8200 […] there isn't a major operation, from the Mossad or any intelligence security agency, that 8200 is not involved in"
>"...Mossad, on the other hand, is a civilian intelligence service and I'm told there's a strong tradition that its members don't freelance their services after leaving..."
Tradition is not what it used to be:
"Black Cube: The Bumbling Spies of the ‘Private Mossad’"
https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/black-cube-the-bumbling-spi...
"...Despite some missteps, Black Cube “has to turn clients away because it cannot service all the demands,” said Mr. Halevy, a former head of the Mossad, an Israeli government intelligence agency. He said Black Cube has worked on 300 cases since being founded in 2010 by two former Israeli military intelligence officers, Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus..."
"Harvey Weinstein hired ex-Mossad agents to suppress allegations, report claims"
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/07/harvey-weinstei...