Ray White
Pegasus is a spyware developed by a private contractor for use by government agencies. The program infects a target’s phone and sends back data, including photos, messages, and audio / video recordings. Pegasus’ developer, an Israeli company called NSO Group, says that the software can’t be traced back to the government using it — a crucial feature for clandestine operations.
In short, NSO Group makes products that let governments spy on citizens. The company describes the role of its products on its website as helping “government intelligence and law-enforcement agencies use technology to meet the challenges of encryption” during terrorism and criminal investigations. But as you might imagine, civil liberties groups aren’t happy about the spyware-for-hire business and restricting the business to government clients does little to quiet their concerns.
Activists, journalists and politicians are among those believed to have been targeted by spyware developed by a private Israel-based firm, according to a new investigation. They are on a list of 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be targeted by clients of the company, NSO Group, since 2016, that was leaked to major news outlets.
Its Pegasus software infects iPhones and Android devices to enable operators to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones and cameras. NSO denies any wrongdoing. It says the software is intended for use against criminals and terrorists and is made available only to military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies from countries with good human rights records.
According to reports, Prime Minister Imran Khan was a potential target of the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware programme by clients of the NSO Group cyber espionage firm. The Foreign Office through a statement responded to the media queries related to India’s alleged use of the Israeli spyware. “We have noted with serious concern recent international media reports exposing Indian government’s organised spying operations against its own citizens, foreigners as well as Prime Minister Imran Khan, using an Israeli origin spyware,” the Foreign Office said.
The statement also condemned what it called “India’s state-sponsored, continuing and widespread surveillance and spying operations in clear breach of global norms of responsible state behaviour. We are closely following these revelations and will bring the Indian abuses to the attention of appropriate global platforms,” said the Foreign Office. Pakistan also called on the relevant UN bodies to thoroughly investigate the matter, “bring the facts to light, and hold the Indian perpetrators to account”.
India on July 19 rejected allegations linked to the Pegasus snooping row, saying attempts were being made to “malign” Indian democracy. Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted that illegal surveillance was not possible with checks and balances in the country’s laws.
Pakistan believes that India had used Pegasus, Israeli-made spyware, to spy on prominent public figures, including Prime Minister Imran Khan. The list of potential surveillance targets for countries that bought the Pegasus spyware included PM Khan’s phone number, according to Amnesty International and 17 other international media organizations.
Pakistani, Chinese and diplomats from other countries in Indian capital appeared on the list of potential targets for phone hacking via the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, reported The Hindu.
The publication citing the French paper Le Monde said that several New Delhi-based diplomats were also on the list of potential targets for phone hacking from 2017-2021, along with a phone associated with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The numbers of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and several of his ambassadors in India appear on the list as potential targets. Dozens of other Delhi-based diplomats and ambassadors are also included, from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Nepal and Saudi Arabia,” the report published on Monday in Le Monde said.
The Hindu reported that the French publication had said that the number of Pakistan’s envoy to India was on the list too. It is the call of the day to ban such spying software and its makers be fined and jailed for attempting to hack personal information of prominent world leaders and diplomats.
