“Pegasus”: journalists and politicians spied on by Israeli companies
News site Southfront informs us that spyware from an Israeli company has been used in successful attempts and attacks on 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists around the world, according to a survey of 17 media organizations, published on July 18.
One of the attacked media outlets, the Washington Post, claimed that Pegasus spyware licensed by the Israel-based NSO group was also used to target phones belonging to two women close to Jamal Khashoggi, the murdered Post columnist. in a Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018.
One of them was his fiancée, and she and the other woman were targeted both before and after his death.
The Guardian, another media outlet, said the investigation suggested "widespread and ongoing abuse" of NSO's hacking software, described as malware that infects smartphones to enable the extraction of messages, photos and emails; record calls; and secretly activate the microphones.
The investigation highlights widespread and ongoing abuse of NSO's hacking spyware called "Pegasus," which the company confirms is intended solely for use against terrorist groups, drug and human traffickers and criminals. Too bad this is obviously not the case, and someone has used it differently.
Pegasus is highly advanced malware that infects iOS and Android devices to allow spyware operators to copy messages, photos, calls and other data, including secretly activating microphones and cameras.
Based on the investigation, the leak contains a list of 50,000 phone numbers that have been identified as those of people of interest by NSO customers since 2016.
The list includes many close family members of a country's ruler, suggesting that he may have tasked the country's intelligence agencies with exploring the possibility of tracking down and spying on his own relative.
The company, NSO Group, released a statement on its website denying exit from the Paris-based investigation site Forbidden Stories, which collects contributions from 17 major media outlets.
“The Forbidden Stories report is full of erroneous assumptions and unsubstantiated theories that raise serious doubts about the reliability and interests of the sources. It seems that the "unidentified sources" have provided information without factual basis and far from reality, "the company said in the note.
"After verifying their claims, we firmly deny the false allegations made in their report," the statement said. NSO claimed that its technology was in no way associated with Khashoggi's murder.
In a statement, rights group Amnesty International condemns the "total lack of regulation" of surveillance software.
" Until this company (NSO) and the industry as a whole demonstrate that they are capable of respecting human rights, there must be an immediate moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of surveillance, ”the rights group said in a statement. .
The phone numbers targeted were on a list provided by Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International to 17 media organizations. It is not clear how the groups got the list. Investigative reporters identified over 1000 names from the list of numbers. The names included corporate executives, members of the Arab royal family, journalists, public executives.
"We are deeply troubled to learn that two AP reporters, along with those from many news organizations, are among those who may have been targeted by the Pegasus spyware," said Lauren Easton, AP's director of media relations.
"We have taken steps to ensure the safety of our reporters' devices and are investigating," he added.
Reuters spokesman Dave Moran said: “Journalists need to be able to report news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are. We are aware of the report and are investigating the matter ”.
The following map provides information on how many "customers" NSO Group had who were feeding
we see how the journalists most in the eye of the storm are those of the Middle East, with the Arab Emirates in the lead. In Europe, the British and French are particularly spied on, but also the Americans are no less.
The case closely resembles that of Hacking Team a few years ago
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The article "Pegasus": journalists and politicians spied by Israeli companies comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/pegasus-giornalisti-e-politici-spiati-da-societa-israeliana/ on Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:29:18 +0000.