Those were phone numbers targeted for surveillance by clients of NSO, the report advises. NSO Group is an Israeli company that markets its spyware and hacking tools to governments and large companies. And they specialize in cybersecurity.
Their Pegasus software can extract all of a device’s data. And it can activate the microphone to listen in on conversations covertly.
The Guardian explained that “Pegasus is a malware that infects iPhones and Android devices to enable operators of the tool to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls, and secretly activate microphones.” The Washington Post, another partner in the investigation, claims that the tool “can infect phones without a click.”
The hacking has been ongoing since 2016. And reporters for the Washington Post, Voice of America, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, Al Jazeera, and others have been hacked.
– 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 –
Global democracy under cyber attack.
Follow along throughout the week.#PegasusProject pic.twitter.com/R2uuYhMqzV— Forbidden Stories (@FbdnStories) July 18, 2021
NSO Group responds
In an email statement, an NSO spokesperson denied most of the report. They are claiming it was “full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories that raise serious doubts about the reliability and interests of the sources.” They also questioned the sources that fueled the report.
