Following the events of 7 October, the company Radiant was quick to provide IDF intelligence with technical tools that helped track the location of several Israeli hostages.
The Jerusalem Post revealed that an Israeli startup called Radiant Research Labs, founded by former experts in Israeli army intelligence and NSO, known for spyware, has developed advanced cyber tools that do not require any user interaction, known as Zero-Click tools.
This technology allows infiltrating phones and computers without the user clicking on links or files. Since its founding in May 2023, the company has developed about ten major cyber tools, some of which are highly classified, mainly targeting Western and international intelligence services.
Following the events of 7 October, the company was quick to provide IDF intelligence with technical tools that helped track the location of a number of Israeli hostages.
The company is led by Tal Slomka and Tzvika Moschkowitz, both of whom have long experience in IDF intelligence. Slomka served in the Air Force and Unit 8200, where he focused on using technology to monitor air threats, before moving to NSO as an analysis manager.
Moshkovitz, who worked in IDF intelligence and the Prime Minister's Office, also moved to NSO to work in analysis and market development, and is today the head of marketing at Radiant, while Slomka is the founder and CEO.
Development strategy and technology
The company sees itself as different from the likes of NSO and Paragon in that it focuses on developing the cyber tool infrastructure, the technical engines that power hacking tools, rather than producing the end tools used in the field.
Company officials describe their work as akin to building the engine of a car rather than the car itself, emphasising that it requires a good level of technical skills and operational expertise.
In just six months, Radiant was able to produce its first "zero-click" cyber tool , and then develop about ten major tools, while keeping the details highly confidential.
The company emphasises that it works almost exclusively with democratic countries as part of the Israeli Ministry of Defence's strategy to strengthen international relations. It emphasises that this approach "ensures a basic level of ethical standards when using its tools".
Countries that have imported Israeli cyber technologies in the past include the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, along with a number of countries such as the Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
The debate over the use of cyber espionage tools is intensifying as US sanctions against companies such as NSO and Intellexa continue, due to allegations of misuse of their technologies against journalists and human rights activists.
However, the report notes that the Trump administration has adopted a more favourable stance on the development of offensive cyber capabilities, especially when such operations align with its strategic objectives.
Leveraging Israeli expertise
Radiant focuses on harnessing the expertise of graduates of Israeli military cyber units, who often move abroad to work in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus, due to the limited utilisation of their skills within the local private sector.
The company seeks to enable them to work on high-level intelligence and security projects, as well as encourage continuous innovation to develop new ideas and tools at a faster pace than major tech companies.
Radiant also plans to host defence-technology conferences in collaboration with senior Israeli officials in the field of cybersecurity, while keeping the identities of the keynote speakers confidential.
