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How Barcelona became an unlikely hub for spyware startups
Barcelona, known for its rich history and cultural heritage, has become an unexpected hotbed for the development of spyware. In a shocking turn of events, it has emerged that several companies involved in the production of surveillance technology have popped up in this Spanish city.
One such company is Head and Tail, which seems to be connected to Defense Prime Inc., formerly known as Palm Beach Networks, and even Candiru, all notorious players in the spyware industry. The latter was rebranded multiple times before being added to the U.S. government’s trade ban list in 2021.
The companies have been linked through overlapping executives and key figures. For instance, Alexey Levin, who served as the CTO at Defense Prime Inc., is now listed as the director of Head and Tail. Interestingly, Levin had previously worked with NSO Group and Candiru, two other notable spyware manufacturers.
Despite its apparent involvement in the development of surveillance technology, Head and Tail’s official website does not explicitly mention their focus on spyware. Instead, they claim to address a variety of cybersecurity issues, including threat intelligence, vulnerability assessments, security awareness training, and incident response.
It is worth noting that LinkedIn job postings for Head and Tail indicate the company has positions available in Barcelona, Madrid, and Sevilla.
A researcher from Israel turned down an opportunity to work with Palm Beach Networks due to concerns about transparency and the potential fallout from working with a spyware company.
Source: techcrunch.com
