Back in 2016, there was an unsuccessful spyware attack on the device of UAE human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor. He received a text message which contained a link in the SMS. Mansoor forwarded the messages to the researchers at Citizen Lab. They traced the origin of the links and led to the NSO Group. Further investigation revealed that the spyware used was pegasus that could exploit vulnerabilities in an iPhone. Since then the Pegasus spyware never really went out of the news.
In 2021, The same spyware ‘Pegasus’ has grabbed headlines again. It is said that the Pegasus spyware, which is sold by the NSO group of Israel, has been used against 300 Indians, including two serving Cabinet ministers at the Centre, three opposition leaders, a Constitutional authority, government officials, scientists and about 40 journalists. India is not the only country which was targeted. Mexico tops the list with 15000 numbers. As a part of a project called ‘The Pegasus Project’, the leaked database was accessed by Paris-based media nonprofit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International and shared with The Guardian, The Washington Post, Le Monde, The Wire.
This spyware is really capable of infecting android phones. The way Pegasus works makes it almost impossible for a victim to find out that they have been hacked. However, This latest incident points us to the importance of cyber security and mobile security