Infamous Israeli spyware has been found on the phones of 11 U.S. State Department employees.
The unknown hackers are said to have used tech from Israel’s NSO Group, a well-known hacker-for-hire company.
According to The Associated Press, “a person familiar with the matter” said 11 U.S. State Department employees all based in Uganda were targeted.
They are said to include some foreign service officers.
AP said its source is “not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.”
Local Ugandan employees are also said to be among the 11 people hacked.
All victims of the hack were using iPhones.
Who the hackers are working for or what they’re after is not yet known.
The U.S. Commerce Department blacklisted NSO Group a few months ago, meaning its use in the US was very limited.
Last week, Apple sued NSO Group and want to stop its hacking of iPhones and other Apple products.
NSO has been engulfed in controversy ever since reports that tens of thousands of activists, journalists and politicians were listed as potential targets of its spyware.
NSO Group said: “NSO has no way to know who the targets of the customers are, as such, we were not and could not have been aware of this case.”
The company says it only sells spyware to licensed customers and claims its spying technology is blocked from hacking phones in the U.S.
U.S. SUN