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“It’s very disappointing to see Americans taking advantage of skills they learned in the U.S. to help this regime,” he said. “They are basically like mercenaries.”

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are close allies. A Saudi embassy spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

In a brief emailed statement, DarkMatter said it was unaware of Reuters’ findings or any improper actions by the company.

A federal grand jury in Washington has been investigating whether American staff violated U.S. hacking laws in the UAE mission. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department declined to comment.

Congress is also asking questions, citing the earlier Reuters reports while pressing the State Department to explain DREAD and pushing for more transparency in foreign license agreements. Foreign governments “have apparently exploited the advanced training and expertise of individuals who developed their technical skills while in U.S. national service,” members wrote in May to the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of State.

Rogers, the former House intelligence committee chairman, said it’s time for Washington to impose tougher restrictions on foreign intelligence contracting. “Outright eliminating those opportunities, I think, should absolutely be on the table,” he said.

Kurtz, who helped launch the program 10 years ago, agreed the U.S. government needs to reconsider how it controls the transfer of cyber capabilities overseas. “It can be a very slippery slope,” he said.

(Reporting by Joel Schectman and Christopher Bing. Editing by Ronnie Greene and Jonathan Weber.)