Thousands of politicians and journalists spied on, dozens of countries under accusation

An Israeli technology, known as Pegasus, used by several countries to hack and spy on thousands of people around the world via mobile phones: politicians, journalists, human rights activists, prominent managers are targeted. This was stated by the Washington Post on the basis of an investigation conducted with 16 other media outlets. The phones are part of a list of more than 50,000 users, identified in countries “known to engage in citizen surveillance and also known to have been customers of the Israeli company NSO Group,” writes the Washington Post, referring to the company active in the sector. of the ‘spyware industry’. Many numbers would be associated with clusters of 10 countries: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco. Rwanda, United Arab Emirates. ORBAN’S OFFICE REJECTS THE ACCUSES Among the first reactions to the WP, that of the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “In Hungary, state bodies authorized to use undercover tools are regularly monitored by governmental and non-governmental institutions,” the premier’s office said. “Have you asked the same questions to the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany or France?” WHAT IS PEGASUS Pegasus is designed to bypass the defenses of iPhones and Android smartphones. The attacks leave very few traces. Traditional measures – ordinary and complex passwords – are of little use. Pegasus can sneak in by stealing photos, recordings, location data, phone calls, passwords, call logs, posts published on social media. The program can also activate the smartphone’s camera and microphone. WHO HAS BEEN SPIED The material authors of the list or the specific reasons why the subjects were spied are not clear. The work carried out by Forbidden Stories, a non-profit organization based in Paris, and by Amnesty International has been instrumental in allowing the identification of over 1,000 people spied on in over 50 countries on 4 continents: over 600 politicians and important institutional figures stand out . Prime ministers are also on the list, according to the Washington Post. Beside them mnisters, diplomats, military. And then at least 65 managers, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists. There are also several members of the Saudi royal family, on the list which includes 37 subjects linked in different ways to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Among the journalists, names attributable to CNN, Associated Press, Voice of America, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Le Mondee, Financial Timese and Al Jazeera. designed as a tool for monitoring the activity of major terrorists and criminals. The company NSO has judged the results of the investigation to be groundless, pointing out – according to law – that it does not manage the software sold to its customers and does not “have elements” relating to specific intelligence activities. “Clearly said – the company states – MSO Group is engaged in a rescue mission and will continue to carry it out despite all continuous attempts to discredit its work on false grounds”. The company denied any involvement in activities against Khashoggi and added that it “will continue to investigate” on the basis of all “credible reports of abuse” by Pegasus and “will take appropriate action based on the results of such investigations.” Such actions also include “shutting down the system of customers” who have acted incorrectly: “NSO has shown that it has the ability and willingness to do so, has done so several times in the past and will not hesitate to do so again if a situation does so. requires “, the company’s position reported by the WP.