Spyware found in State Dept employees' phones

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

The information came from someone who is not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation. The phones belonged to employees located in Uganda and included some Foreign Service officers, as well as local Ugandan employees.

News of the hacks comes a month after the U.S. Commerce Department blacklisted NSO Group, limiting its use of U.S. technology. Apple also 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."

the Israeli company said its spying technology is blocked from hacking phones based in the U.S. and only sells to licensed customers.