JAKARTA - Pegasus spyware, which has military standards, has been leased by an Israeli company, NSO Group, to the governments of several countries to track terrorists and criminals. However, the Indonesian government is not said to be one of the tenants of the spyware.
Pegasus spyware was also used to hack 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, business executives. It even includes the two women closest to the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, which have access to a list of more than 50,000 numbers connected to NSO, researched and further analyzed the data. Amnesty's Security Lab also conducted forensic examinations of these phone numbers.
Here are the highlights of the investigation:
Identified Phones from an Extensive List:
Thirty-seven targeted smartphones appeared on a list of more than 50,000 numbers concentrated in countries known to engage in surveillance of their citizens and also known to be clients of the NSO Group.
The list does not identify who put the number, and why. It is not even known exactly how many phones were targeted or monitored.
Politicians, Journalists, Activists Included in the List:
The media were able to identify more than 1,000 people spread across more than 50 countries on the Pegasus list. For example some members of the Arab royal family, 65 executives or businessmen, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists, and more than 600 politicians and government officials. These include cabinet ministers, diplomats and military and security officers, as well as several heads of state and prime ministers.
NSO Calls Its Clients Violating Policies:
The targeting of 37 smartphones seems to go against the stated goals of the NSO license for the Pegasus spyware. According to NSO their spyware is only meant for use in watching out for terrorists and big criminals.
NSO Chief Executive Shalev Hulio said on Sunday, July 18 that he was "deeply concerned" by The Washington Post's report.
"We examine every accusation, and if some of the allegations are true, we will take firm action, and we will terminate the contract as we have done in the past," Hulio said. "If anyone does surveillance of journalists, even if it's not by Pegasus, it's disturbing."
Apple iPhone Proven Vulnerable:
The discovery of a list of 37 cell phones that had been compromised or attacked with the Pegasus spyware sparked debate over whether Apple had done enough to ensure the security of its devices. It is proven that 34 out of 37 mobile phones that have been infected with spyware are iPhones.
Hacking Has Implications Around the World:
Of the 37 calls targeted, 10 were in India and five in Hungary, most of which were related to journalists, activists or business people. The findings will add to concerns about the extra-tight government surveillance being exercised with private spyware in both countries. Each country states that they act legally in carrying out these surveillance activities. However, it is not stated whether the Indonesian government also rented this spyware from NSO.
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