WHAT IS MEANT BY PEGASUS (SPYWARE)

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PEGASUS

 The Pegasus Project, an investigation by an international media consortium, has revealed that more than 50,000 phone numbers were targeted by a spyware created by NSO Group, an Israeli software company. On the list were 300 verified phone numbers in India, including those of ministers, opposition leaders, a sitting judge, more than 40 journalists, and several activists and business persons.

What is it ?

A spyware is any malicious software designed to enter your computer device, gather your data, and forward it to a third-party without your consent.

Pegasus, developed by NSO Group, is perhaps the most powerful spyware ever created. It is designed to infiltrate smartphones — Android and iOS — and turn them into surveillance devices.

The Israeli company, however, markets it as a tool to track criminals and terrorists — for targeted spying and not mass surveillance. NSO Group sell ..

What it can do ?

Once installed on a phone, Pegasus can intercept and steal more or less any information on it, including SMS, contacts, call history, calendars, emails and browsing histories. It can use your phone’s microphone to record calls and other conversations, secretly film you with its camera, or track you with GPS.

Brief history of Pegasus

2016: Researchers at Canadian cybersecurity organisation The Citizen Lab first encountered Pegasus on a smartphone of human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor.

September 2018: The Citizen Lab published a report that identified 45 countries in which Pegasus was being used. As with the latest revelations, the list included India.

October 2019:

WhatsApp revealed that journalists and human rights activists in India had been targets of surveillance by operators using Pegasus.

July 2021: The Pegasus Project, an international investigative journalism effort, revealed that various governments used the software to spy on government officials, opposition politicians, journalists, activists and many others. It said the Indian government used it to spy on around 300 people between 2017 and 2019.

Now a days this spyware is widely taught by all the people.