Back Pegasus-spioenasieware Afrikaans بيغاسوس (برمجية) Arabic Pegasus (casus proqramı) Azerbaijani পেগাসাস (স্পাইওয়্যার) Bengali/Bangla Pegasus (programari espia) Catalan Pegasus (spyware) Czech Pegasus (Spyware) German Pegasus (spyware) Spanish Pegasus (spywarea) Basque پگاسوس (جاسوسافزار) Persian
| Developer(s) | NSO Group |
|---|---|
| Initial release | August 2016 |
| Operating system | iOS, Android |
| Type | Spyware |
| Website | www |
Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group that is designed to be covertly and remotely installed on mobile phones running iOS and Android.[1] While NSO Group markets Pegasus as a product for fighting crime and terrorism, governments around the world have routinely used the spyware to surveil journalists, lawyers, political dissidents, and human rights activists.[2] The sale of Pegasus licenses to foreign governments must be approved by Israeli defense ministry.[3]
As of March 2023, Pegasus operators were able to remotely install the spyware on iOS versions through 16.0.3 using a zero-click exploit.[4] While the capabilities of Pegasus may vary over time due to software updates, Pegasus is generally capable of reading text messages, call snooping, collecting passwords, location tracking, accessing the target device's microphone and camera, and harvesting information from apps.[5][6] The spyware is named after Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology.[7]
Cyber watchdog Citizen Lab and Lookout Security published the first public technical analyses of Pegasus in August 2016 after they captured the spyware in a failed attempt to spy on the iPhone of a human rights activist.[8][9] Subsequent investigations into Pegasus by Amnesty International, Citizen Lab, and others have garnered significant media attention, including in July 2021 with the release of the Pegasus Project investigation, which centered on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers reportedly selected for targeting by Pegasus customers.[10][11]
- ^ Timberg, Craig; Albergotti, Reed; Guéguen, Elodie (July 19, 2021). "Despite the hype, iPhone security no match for NSO spyware – International investigation finds 23 Apple devices that were successfully hacked". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "With Israel's Encouragement, NSO Sold Spyware to UAE and Other Gulf States". Haaretz. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ Sanger, David E.; Perlroth, Nicole; Swanson, Ana; Bergman, Ronen (November 3, 2021). "U.S. Blacklists Israeli Firm NSO Group Over Spyware". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ Marczak, Bill; Scott-Railton, John; Razzak, Bahr Abdul; Deibert, Ron (April 18, 2023). "Triple Threat: NSO Group's Pegasus Spyware Returns in 2022 with a Trio of iOS 15 and iOS 16 Zero-Click Exploit Chains". citizenlab.ca. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ Cox, Joseph (May 12, 2020). "NSO Group Pitched Phone Hacking Tech to American Police". Vice. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:17was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bouquet, Jonathan (May 19, 2019). "May I have a word about… Pegasus spyware". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
citizen-lab-reoportwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
lookout-reportwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
pegasusprojectwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Pegasus Project: Apple iPhones compromised by NSO spyware". Amnesty International. July 19, 2021. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2023.