The Five Eyes countries, including New Zealand, have been linked to a United States military contractor’s attempt to acquire the powerful Pegasus spyware.

The New York Times reported on Monday that a US defence contractor, L3Harris, had been in conversation with Israeli firm NSO Group about acquiring the spyware, despite NSO Group being blacklisted by the US Government. The acquisition has reportedly been abandoned.

According to the Times, the US contractor had the support of US intelligence agencies, on the condition the spyware’s ability to hack mobile phones was sold to Five Eyes intelligence partners – which includes Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

Both Intelligence Agencies Minister Andrew Little and the spy agencies, the Security Intelligence Service and Government Communication Security Bureau, were unwilling to directly answer questions about the reported Five Eyes interest in the Pegasus mobile phone surveillance software.

Little said the Times report was about a “military contractor, not a state”.

“The Five Eyes are partners but remain sovereign independent states. New Zealand makes its own decisions about procurement.”

Asked whether he would deem the purchase of Pegasus as acceptable, he said: “My concern is protecting New Zealand from espionage and other national security threats, and upholding our clear legal framework.”

Little would not comment on whether the agencies had used Pegasus, or knew of it being used by others on New Zealand targets.

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“There is a longstanding precedent of not commenting on the specific areas of investigative focus for the agencies, or the capabilities procured by the agencies, because to do so could be helpful to those who would do harm.”

A spokesman for the SIS and GCSB said the agencies had a “long-standing approach of not discussing specific technical capabilities they may or may not seek to use to fulfil their mission”.

“Any procurement process undertaken by the intelligence agencies is subject to a range of careful considerations, including any ethical concerns about potential vendors.”

The NSO Group and its Pegasus spyware were the focus of a major international investigation by numerous media outlets and Amnesty International, in July 2021.

The spyware had been sold by NSO Group, which the permission of Israel, to countries that used it to not only monitor terrorists and criminals, but hundreds of politicians, journalists, human rights activists, and business executives.

The spyware used both malicious links and “zero-click” attacks to access a target’s phone, allowing the hacker to read anything on the device and activate cameras and microphones for surveillance.

In November 2021, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted NSO Group for developing and supplying spyware to foreign governments that used it for “transnational repression”.

Initial reports that NSO Group may be acquired by a US firm had surprised White House officials, according to the New York Times. After it was made public, L3Harris told the US Government it would not go ahead with the purchase.