TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli defense company Elbit Systems’ shares fell 1.7 percent in premarket Nasdaq trade after researchers claimed Ethiopia used products made by its Cyberbit unit to spy on dissidents.

FILE PHOTO: Logo of Israeli defence electronics firm Elbit Systems is seen at their offices in Haifa, Israel February 26, 2017. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo

The report from Toronto-based research institute The Citizen Lab said Ethiopian dissidents were targeted with emails containing sophisticated commercial spyware posing as Adobe Flash updates and PDF plugins.

“Our analysis of the spyware indicates it is a product known as PC Surveillance System, a commercial spyware product... offered by Cyberbit — an Israel-based cyber security company that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems — and marketed to intelligence and law enforcement agencies,” the report said.

Officials at Elbit had no immediate comment. Its shares in Tel Aviv were down 1.9 percent in late trade.