Pegasus , a spyware program from Israeli company NSO Group, was used to hack 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists around the world, according to a study by 17 media organizations published on July 18.One of the organizations, the Washington Post, said the Pegasus spyware was also used to hack phones belonging to two women closely associated with Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018.
Another media outlet, “The Guardian,” reported that the investigation found “widespread and ongoing misuse” of NSO’s hacking software, which is described as malware that infects smartphones, aiming to steal messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones.
However, it has not been revealed so far who is behind the successful breaches (and attempted breaches) and why.
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NSO, for its part, stated that its product is intended only for use by government intelligence agencies and law enforcement to combat crime and terrorism.
The company issued a statement on its website, denying the report by 17 media organizations led by the Paris-based non-profit journalism organization “Forbidden Stories.”
Specifically, the statement stated the following: “The Forbidden Stories report is full of false assumptions and incoherent theories, which raise serious doubts about the credibility and interests of the sources. It appears that the “unknown sources” have provided information that has no factual basis and is far from reality. After verifying the allegations, we categorically deny them as false.”
NSO also stated that its technology was not involved in Khashoggi's murder at all.
Amnesty International spoke of a "gross lack of regulation" of the surveillance software.
"Until this company (NSO) and the industry as a whole demonstrate that they are able to respect human rights, there must be an immediate moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology," the rights group said in a statement.
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The targeted phone numbers were included in a list provided by Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International to 17 media organizations. It was not clear how the groups obtained the list.
Many of these numbers belong to several members of the Arab royal family, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists, and more than 600 politicians and government officials – including several heads of state and prime ministers.
According to The Guardian, the numbers of more than 180 journalists are included in the data, including reporters, editors and executives at the Financial Times, CNN, the New York Times, the Economist, the Associated Press and Reuters.
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"We are deeply troubled to learn that two AP journalists, along with journalists from multiple news organizations, are among those who may have been targeted by Pegasus spyware. We have taken steps to ensure the security of our journalists' devices and are conducting an investigation," said AP Media Relations Director Lauren Easton.
Dave Moran, a Reuters spokesman, also said: “Journalists must be allowed to report news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are. We are aware of the report and are looking into the matter.”
