[German]It is a start-up in the security sector that makes you sit up and take notice, but at the same time (at least for me) makes you shake your head. There is a new security company Dream Security that wants to focus on protecting critical infrastructure – especially in European countries. The founders are Sebastian Kurz (ex-Chancellor of Austria) and Shalev Hulio (ex-head of spyware provider NSO).
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The ex-Federal Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, previously unnoticed for his IT affinity, has just founded a security company called Dream Security with Shalev Hulio.
This is reported bythe Israeli medium Globes. Shalev Hulio is one of the founders of NSO Group – which made the headlines and then got into trouble because of the Pegasus spy software. I had reported several times here on the blog about NSO Group and its Pegasus software (see links at end of article).
According to the report, Shalev Hulio, along with Omri Lavie and Niv Karmi, is leaving NSO Group 12 years after it was founded. The freshly formed Dream Security is a company focused on cybersecurity for critical infrastructure – gas, oil and water facilities – to protect them from ransomware attacks and terrorist attacks.
Shalev Hulio is thus moving from the field of cyberattacks to the genre of cybersecurity. After all, the Pegasus spy software developed by NSO Group functions (as a controversial) tool for spying on terror and crime suspects, which was most recently used against politicians, dissidents and journalists.
Shalev Hulio has brought former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on board. Kurz was forced to resign in 2021 when prosecutors in Austria began investigating allegations that the politician had used taxpayer money to place rigged polls in media outlets to further his political rise. Kurz went to the U.S. and works there as a global strategist at billionaire Peter Thiel's Thiel Capital LLC, according a German media report.
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Kurz met Israeli Shalev Hulio on a trip to Israel while looking for startups to invest in, another media report says. In the newly founded start-up Dream Security, Kurz is said to hold the post of "President and Vice President Business Development" and is quoted thus:
In my time as chancellor, I've seen many attacks on governments, factories and energy utilities, most of which didn't make it into the media.
So they are relying on political contacts as door openers in Europe – if you look at the blueness and the felt in politics in Europe, it could even work, with the Dream Team in Dream Security. Also on board is Gil Dolev, formerly of Adallom, NSO and the Prime Minister's Office in Israel. The new security company has raised $20 million from numerous investors led by Dovi Frances. The company is not expected to be registered as a limited liability company until early November and will open its offices in the German Templar Colony in Sarona (a restaurant and nightlife district in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel).
PS: If you are looking for Dream Security, you will find it on the Internet. There is e.g. a company of the same name in South-Korea – whether there is already trouble pre-programmed?
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