# Commercial Spyware **Domain:** Cybersecurity / Surveillance / Commercial Technology **Doc Type:** Canonical Technical-Policy Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Under [[wiki/Executive Order 14093|Executive Order 14093]], **commercial spyware** is an end-to-end software suite furnished commercially that can obtain remote access to a computer without the consent of its user, administrator or owner in order to collect content, record audio or video, or track location. ## Risk Context Commercial spyware can support legitimate authorized functions, but its proliferation creates risks of unauthorized surveillance, repression, human-rights abuse and counterintelligence compromise. ## Sources / Provenance - [Executive Order 14093 — Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/30/2023-06730/prohibition-on-use-by-the-united-states-government-of-commercial-spyware-that-poses-risks-to) - [Treasury sanctions Intellexa-associated entities](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2155) ## See Also [[wiki/Pegasus Spyware|Pegasus Spyware]], [[wiki/Surveillance|Surveillance]], [[wiki/Highly Targeted Individuals|Highly Targeted Individuals]] ## Relationships - **article-linked mechanism or framework:** [[wiki/Intrusion Tier|Intrusion Tier]]. - **article-linked mechanism or framework:** [[wiki/Commercialized State-Grade Intrusion|Commercialized State-Grade Intrusion]]. - **collection route:** [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]]. - **counterterrorism architecture:** [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]]. - **source article:** [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]]. ## Civilian intelligence marketplace Industry term for commercial intrusion tools sold to government and other security customers. The article describes the market through remote access, product delivery, procurement, ownership, and legal developments. Commercial intrusion supplies a technical information capability distinct from purchased records and open-source research. Products, customers, contracts, ownership, court decisions, and sanctions form the operating environment of this market. The article connects the tier with commissioned cyber service through the professional instruments governing authorized use. ### Marketplace sources - [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft#X. Mercenary Spyware and the Intrusion Tier|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft — X. Mercenary Spyware and the Intrusion Tier]] — October 2026 revision; immediate source for this entry’s place in the marketplace. - [Citizen Lab, Spyware Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges and Formal Complaints Related to Mercenary Spyware.](https://citizenlab.ca/spyware-litigation-tracker-legal-challenges-and-formal-complaints-related-to-mercenary-spyware/) - [Amnesty International Security Lab, Intellexa Leaks: Predator Spyware Operations Exposed (December 2025).](https://securitylab.amnesty.org/latest/2025/12/intellexa-leaks-predator-spyware-operations-exposed/) - [SecurityWeek, NSO Ordered to Stop Hacking WhatsApp, but Damages Cut to $4 Million (October 2025).](https://www.securityweek.com/nso-ordered-to-stop-hacking-whatsapp-but-damages-cut-to-4-million/) **Marketplace terminology:** Mercenary Spyware. ## Connected marketplace roles The source article connects this entry with [[wiki/Pegasus Spyware|Pegasus Spyware]], [[wiki/Citizen Lab|Citizen Lab]], [[wiki/Predator Spyware|Predator Spyware]], [[wiki/Zero-Click Commercial Intrusion|Zero-Click Commercial Intrusion]], [[wiki/Intrusion Tier|Intrusion Tier]], [[wiki/Commercialized State-Grade Intrusion|Commercialized State-Grade Intrusion]]. These routes locate the associated people, implementations, methods, and operational contexts in [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]]. **Collections:** [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]] · [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]].