AP Source: State Department employees hacked by NSO Group

The phones of 11 U.S. State Department employees were hacked using technology from Israel’s NSO Group, the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire company

WASHINGTON -- The phones of 11 U.S. State Department employees were hacked using technology from Israel's NSO Group, the world's most infamous hacker-for-hire company, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The employees were all located in Uganda and included some foreign service officers, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation. Some local Ugandan employees of the department also appear to have been among the 11 hacked, the person said.

It was not known what individual or entity used NSO technology to hack into the accounts, or what information was sought.

News of the hacks, which were first reported by Reuters, comes a month after the U.S. Commerce Department blacklisted NSO Group, limiting its ability to use U.S. technology. And Apple sued NSO Group last week seeking to effectively shut down its hacking of all iPhones and other Apple products, calling the Israeli company “amoral 21st century mercenaries.”