OP Yesterday - 04:24 AM
US government agencies legally hack into people’s phones or emails all the time: Think of the FBI wiretapping a suspected drug lord or the NSA monitoring emails for terrorist plots.
But there’s growing interest in hacking other kinds of devices people use, like Wi-Fi-connected security cameras and other IoT products.
Toka, an Israeli startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz, specializes in just such work. It previously gained attention for a 2022 Haaretz article detailing its claims of being able to obtain and even delete security camera footage.
The company is currently seeking a “Director of US Accounts” to “support business growth in the US government market.” The role requires “extensive technology sales experience across the Department of Defense and national security agencies.”
Toka is also seeking a Customer Success Engineer to join its North American team, who will be responsible for helping its customers with “deployment, training, and implementation.” Experience with federal law enforcement is considered a plus.
Toka told TechCrunch that it “primarily fills open positions” and declined to comment further on its work with the U.S. government.
“We can say that Toka only sells to military, homeland security, intelligence, and law enforcement organizations in the United States and its close allies who use our products in accordance with local laws,” a company spokesperson said.
Hacking IoT products is becoming increasingly common in the defense and intelligence world.
Israel, where Toka is headquartered, has gained some notoriety for such intelligence gathering. Earlier this year, Hezbollah warned residents of Lebanon to turn off their surveillance cameras to prevent Israel from hacking them to find targets.
But such technology doesn’t have to be limited to war zones. Last month, TechCrunch reported that a16z’s Ben Horowitz had tried to donate funds to buy Toka software for the Las Vegas Police Department. A Toka spokesperson said he declined.
Since its founding in 2018, Toka has publicly raised $37.5 million from investors including a16z, Dell Capital, and others. Haaretz previously reported in 2022 that Toka was seeking to partner with U.S. special forces and an unnamed U.S. intelligence agency.
Toka has been careful to avoid the spotlight on Israeli spy firms like US-sanctioned NSO Group, publicly promising that it only does business with governments on a “select list of countries” with good records on civil liberties and corruption.
Toka is listed as an exhibitor at the 2021 UAE conference, and earlier this year hired a vice president of international sales who previously worked at Cellebrite, another controversial Israeli cybersecurity company. However, Toka told TechCrunch that it has no clients in the UAE and carefully monitors its international sales.
“We regularly review this list of countries using external assessments on a range of issues, including civil liberties, rule of law, and corruption,” a Toka spokesperson said. “We are assisted in this process by two respected external advisors: Professor Peter Shook of Yale Law School and Israel Prize laureate Jacob Frenkel, currently chairman of JP Morgan Chase International and a former IMF official.”
source : https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/06/a16z-b...t-devices/
But there’s growing interest in hacking other kinds of devices people use, like Wi-Fi-connected security cameras and other IoT products.
Toka, an Israeli startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz, specializes in just such work. It previously gained attention for a 2022 Haaretz article detailing its claims of being able to obtain and even delete security camera footage.
The company is currently seeking a “Director of US Accounts” to “support business growth in the US government market.” The role requires “extensive technology sales experience across the Department of Defense and national security agencies.”
Toka is also seeking a Customer Success Engineer to join its North American team, who will be responsible for helping its customers with “deployment, training, and implementation.” Experience with federal law enforcement is considered a plus.
Toka told TechCrunch that it “primarily fills open positions” and declined to comment further on its work with the U.S. government.
“We can say that Toka only sells to military, homeland security, intelligence, and law enforcement organizations in the United States and its close allies who use our products in accordance with local laws,” a company spokesperson said.
Hacking IoT products is becoming increasingly common in the defense and intelligence world.
Israel, where Toka is headquartered, has gained some notoriety for such intelligence gathering. Earlier this year, Hezbollah warned residents of Lebanon to turn off their surveillance cameras to prevent Israel from hacking them to find targets.
But such technology doesn’t have to be limited to war zones. Last month, TechCrunch reported that a16z’s Ben Horowitz had tried to donate funds to buy Toka software for the Las Vegas Police Department. A Toka spokesperson said he declined.
Since its founding in 2018, Toka has publicly raised $37.5 million from investors including a16z, Dell Capital, and others. Haaretz previously reported in 2022 that Toka was seeking to partner with U.S. special forces and an unnamed U.S. intelligence agency.
Toka has been careful to avoid the spotlight on Israeli spy firms like US-sanctioned NSO Group, publicly promising that it only does business with governments on a “select list of countries” with good records on civil liberties and corruption.
Toka is listed as an exhibitor at the 2021 UAE conference, and earlier this year hired a vice president of international sales who previously worked at Cellebrite, another controversial Israeli cybersecurity company. However, Toka told TechCrunch that it has no clients in the UAE and carefully monitors its international sales.
“We regularly review this list of countries using external assessments on a range of issues, including civil liberties, rule of law, and corruption,” a Toka spokesperson said. “We are assisted in this process by two respected external advisors: Professor Peter Shook of Yale Law School and Israel Prize laureate Jacob Frenkel, currently chairman of JP Morgan Chase International and a former IMF official.”
source : https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/06/a16z-b...t-devices/
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