An Israeli couple were jailed on Monday after confessing to the development and sale of spyware that helped private investigators snoop on their clients' business competitors.

Ruth Brier-Haephrati, 28, was jailed four years while her husband Michael Haephrati, 44, was sentenced to two years imprisonment. Both sentences were in line with a plea-bargaining agreement made earlier this month. Ruth was charged with a litany of offences including fraud, planting computer viruses, and conspiracy. Her husband, Michael, was charged as her accomplice to those offences. Each also faces a suspended sentence and a fine of one million New Israeli Shekels ($212K).

The malware sent stolen documents to an FTP site, allowing unscrupulous firms to swipe confidential documents from rivals. Each software installation allegedly netted the Haephratis 2,000 New Israeli Shekels ($425). According to court documents, Michael Haephrati developed the spyware Trojan horse, while his wife, Ruth, marketed the software. ®

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