what is Pegasus spyware? and what is danger to people and human rights?
The Pegasus spyware and its danger to people and human rights
Recent international reports have raised concerns about the use of the spyware program "Pegasus" to infiltrate the smartphones of officials, activists, opposition figures, and journalists around the world.
Pegasus is spyware developed and sold by the NSO Group, an Israeli company. What's the story behind it?
Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch revealed in a report that the Pegasus spyware can be discreetly loaded onto mobile phones. Once the spyware is installed, it allows the client to turn the targeted device into a powerful surveillance tool, granting full access to the camera, calls, photos, videos, microphone, email, text messages, and other features, enabling the monitoring of the targeted individual and their contacts.
The organization stated that this is a sophisticated and complex attack technology that is effective in penetrating devices, making it difficult for the target to detect or prevent it.
The Beginning of the Scandal: "The Winged Horse"
- 1979: Israel enacted the "Wiretapping Act."
- 2010: NSO Group was founded with approximately 500 employees, headquartered in Tel Aviv.
- 2016: According to Fast Company, NSO Group charged customers $650,000 to penetrate 10 devices, in addition to half a million dollars for software installation fees.
- January 10, 2019: The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed Israeli technology that allowed Mexican authorities to capture the world's most notorious drug lord, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was the top U.S. target after the death of Osama bin Laden, according to the newspaper.
- The Israeli newspaper revealed that the technology that enabled the capture of the world's most dangerous drug lord belonged to the Israeli NSO Group and was called "Pegasus," a system capable of penetrating even encrypted mobile phones, such as Blackberry.
- Pegasus is considered one of the most dangerous and complex spyware programs and primarily targets iOS devices by Apple, although there is a version for Android devices that differs slightly from the iOS version.
- Kaspersky, a virus protection software company, explained that Pegasus is a "modular malware," composed of units. It first scans the targeted device, then installs the necessary module to read user messages and emails, listen to calls, capture screen images, record keystrokes, retrieve browser history, and access contacts.
- Pegasus can also listen to encrypted audio files and read encrypted messages, thanks to its ability to record keystrokes and capture sound. It steals messages before encryption (and incoming messages after decryption).
- August 2020: Haaretz reported that the Israeli NSO Group sold Pegasus spyware, which allows mobile phone penetration, to Gulf states for hundreds of millions of dollars through the mediation of Israel in recent years.
- December 2020: The U.S. administration placed the NSO Group, the owner of this software, on the blacklist after discovering that 11 American government sources stationed in Uganda were targeted for tracking using Pegasus spyware.
- The NSO Group expressed regret over the decision and denied acting against American national security interests.
- July 2021: An investigation by 80 journalists from 17 foreign and Israeli media outlets confirmed that several governments around the world used the Pegasus program to spy on about 180 journalists worldwide, and the program was used by specific countries in cases that were considered violations of human rights.
- A leaked list containing up to 50,000 phone numbers believed to belong to individuals of interest to the NSO Group since 2016 was reported.
- Le Monde reported evidence of an attempted hack of the phone of former French Environment Minister François de Rugy, who is close to Macron, originating from Morocco.
- The newspaper accused Moroccan intelligence of being behind the hacking of journalists' phones in France, a claim denied by the Moroccan government, which filed a defamation lawsuit.
Jamal Khashoggi :
- Recent news reports, as shared by The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Le Monde, have revealed that the Pegasus program was used for spying on journalists and activists worldwide, as well as heads of states, diplomats, and members of royal families in Arab countries. Among the targets was the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in his country's consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Two phone numbers linked to Khashoggi's close associates were found on the list of potential targets.
- August 12, 2021: Three United Nations experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, issued a statement calling for a temporary halt to international surveillance technology sales pending the establishment of a regulatory framework to safeguard human rights in light of the recent eavesdropping scandal associated with the Pegasus program.
- August 25, 2021: Citizen Lab, a Canadian institute, revealed that the Bahraini regime used the Pegasus program to spy on nine human rights activists from various organizations between June 2020 and February 2021. Some of the victims were located in European countries during the surveillance.
- September 24, 2021: According to a report by Mediapart, the phones of five French ministers and a diplomatic advisor to President Macron were targeted using Pegasus.
- The targeted ministers include Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of Territorial Unity Jacqueline Gourault, Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie, Minister of Housing Emmanuelle Wargon, and Minister of Overseas Sebastien Lecornu.
- French security agencies reportedly detected the breach while inspecting the phones, and they believe the hacking occurred between 2019 and 2020.
- October 10, 2021: NSO Group introduced a modification to the Pegasus program intended to prevent countries from using the spyware for surveillance of specific British phones and numbers. This came after the alleged hacking of the phones of Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's ex-wife Princess Haya and her legal team in the UK, as reported by The Guardian.
- October 15, 2021: The British newspaper The Guardian reported that Stephen J. Toope, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, announced that the university had cut ties with the United Arab Emirates over concerns related to the controversial spying software Pegasus.
- November 1, 2021: During a meeting on the sidelines of the Glasgow Summit, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the espionage issue related to Macron's phone and agreed to address it confidentially.
- November 3, 2021: An Israeli political official disclosed that the United States informed the Israeli government of its decision regarding the inclusion of NSO Group and Candiru in the blacklist shortly before announcing it.
- November 8, 2021: Representatives of six Palestinian human rights organizations pursued by Israeli authorities stated that Israel had used Pegasus to spy on Palestinian human rights activists and senior officials in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
- This coincided with Israeli authorities designating six Palestinian organizations working in the field of human rights and prisoners' issues as terrorist organizations, confirming that Israeli authorities were behind the spying operation and that it posed a threat to the lives and activities of those involved.
- November 11, 2021: The newly appointed CEO of NSO Group, Isaac Benbenisti, resigned from his position a week after the U.S. Department of Commerce blacklisted the company as a threat to U.S. national security.
- November 23, 2021: Apple filed a lawsuit against NSO Group for targeting its users, arguing that the company responsible for the spyware scandal should be held accountable.
- Apple stated in a press release that it seeks a permanent court order preventing the NSO Group from using any software, services, or devices produced by the company to prevent further harm to its users. The statement also mentioned that the lawsuit contains new information on how the NSO Group conducted phone surveillance.
- December 7, 2021: Israeli authorities announced their intention to impose restrictions on the buyers of Pegasus software and its terms of use.
- According to Israel's official channel Kan, countries interested in purchasing electronic technologies from Israel will be required to commit to using them only to prevent and combat specific serious crimes and terrorism, as the Israeli Ministry of Defense's Export Control Division intends to issue an updated End-User Statement that each country must sign as a condition for purchasing and using Israeli electronic systems used for intelligence and information gathering.
- January 7, 2022: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party, acknowledged that Poland had purchased advanced spyware programs from the Israeli NSO Group. However, he denied using them against political opponents.
- Kaczynski stated that the Israeli Pegasus program is currently being used by intelligence agencies in many countries to combat crime and corruption.
- He noted that the program represents technological progress compared to previous surveillance systems, which did not allow intelligence agencies to monitor encrypted messages.
Spying on Citizens :
- January 18, 2022: The Israeli newspaper Calcalist reported that the Israeli police tracked Israeli citizens using the Pegasus software.
- According to the investigation, the police used the software to spy on citizens, not just suspects during investigations, for the past 8 years. They had acquired the software from the mentioned company and had an agreement to keep it secret.
- The Israeli police used this software without prior court authorization, which is required by law. They used it against mayors, local council heads while they were in office, as well as against protesters who opposed Netanyahu. They also hacked mobile phones of citizens, tracking and spying on them.
- The investigative report revealed that the police planted spyware on the phones of leaders and activists of the Black Flags movement, which organized protests against Netanyahu and his government.
- The orders for the surveillance came from high-ranking official levels within the police. They sought to gather information about bribes and other violations, using it as intelligence, and then opened investigations against the targets. They also used it against employees of government companies, in addition to implanting it on the mobile devices of citizens and tracking them.
- The Israeli police quickly issued a statement vehemently denying these allegations, describing them as baseless and stating that they had not taken any illegal actions.
- January 25, 2022: Asher Levi, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of NSO Group, resigned from his position.
- Calcalist reported that Levi, who previously served as the CEO of Orbotech, was appointed to manage NSO Group in 2020 as a representative of the English fund Novafina. When the English fund was replaced by BRG, it was only natural for Levi to step down from his role, and the company appointed Fennar O'Connor as the new CEO.
- Just days before this, the newspaper had revealed that the Israeli police had used Pegasus software to track Israeli citizens. Israeli sources stated that with BRG taking over from the English fund, it was natural for Levi's mission to come to an end.
Spying on Finnish Diplomats :
- January 29, 2022: NSO Group declined to comment on reports suggesting that its software had been used to track Finnish diplomats.
- According to Haaretz, officials at the company stated that they do not disclose their clients' identities or the organizations that purchase and use their software.
- This came after authorities in Helsinki announced that they had conducted investigations in recent months and discovered that Finnish diplomats on foreign missions had been subjected to tracking. They put an end to the surveillance.
- The New York Times revealed that Netanyahu had used Pegasus software for political purposes in his dealings with Gulf states, European countries, and Mexico.
- According to the newspaper, Saudi Arabia extended its license to use this software after a phone call between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Netanyahu. In the call, Netanyahu allegedly asked for progress on the Abraham Accords with Saudi Arabia in exchange for renewing the country's license to use this software.
- Netanyahu's office denied the newspaper's claims that Netanyahu had renewed the Pegasus license for Saudi Arabia at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Netanyahu's Trial :
- February 3, 2022: The Israeli Attorney General's office begins examining information regarding the possible use of Pegasus software to extract data from the mobile phone of an individual involved in investigations against Netanyahu.
- Sources stated during Netanyahu's trial that an investigation is underway to determine whether the Israeli police used the mentioned software to retrieve information from a key witness in the corruption cases against Netanyahu.
- February 7, 2022: Naftali Bennett described the extensive spying operations conducted by the Israeli police, penetrating the phones of officials, CEOs, opposition activists, mayors, local authorities, and advisors to the Prime Minister through Pegasus software as extremely serious.
- Bennett added that this software is considered an important tool in combating terrorism and serious crimes but was not intended for surveilling Israeli citizens or public figures.
- Israel's Internal Security Minister, Omer Barlev, commented, "I announced that the committee will investigate whether there were political forces behind the breach of Defense Minister Gantz's phone. Within minutes, Likud began instructing that they had no connection to it. This seems like a classic case of what's known: 'The thief is the first to shout.' I genuinely hope you had no connection to these breaches, and I won't rest until I expose the truth about those who tried to undermine Israeli democracy."
Investigative Report :
- An investigation by the economic newspaper "Calcalist," a subsidiary of Haaretz, revealed that the Israeli police conducted widespread surveillance on the phones of CEOs, mayors, local authorities, opposition activists, top executives of giant corporations, and advisors to the Prime Minister, as well as on Avner, the son of former Prime Minister Netanyahu. They extensively planted Pegasus spyware on the phones of many Israeli citizens.
- Calls in Israel have grown for the formation of an official investigative committee to monitor this issue and hold those responsible accountable. There is also increasing demand to drop the charges against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- February 8, 2022: Israel's Inspector General of Police, Yaakov Shabtai, decided to cut short his visit to the UAE and return to Israel due to the repercussions of the police spying scandal on citizens and activists in Israel.
- February 9, 2022: Bennett requests the participation of Shin Bet and Mossad in the investigation of the Israeli police's espionage operations on Israeli citizens and suspected Israelis under investigation using Pegasus software.
- The police claimed that their internal investigations revealed that only 3 out of the 26 Israelis mentioned in the Calcalist newspaper's investigative report had their phones breached, and they were targeted for surveillance and spying.
- The police claimed to have succeeded in breaching the phone of only one of the three targeted individuals, stating that the phones of the rest of the individuals listed in the investigative report were not compromised.
- Bennett called for a thorough examination of the results of the Calcalist newspaper's investigation, which revealed that the police had spied on 26 heads of local authorities, mayors, CEOs, ministry directors-general, and government advisors, describing the findings as extremely serious if true.
- February 10, 2022: NSO Group CEO Shalev Hulio, in an interview with Israel's Channel 12, stated that Pegasus software was sold to 40 countries and rejected for sale to 90 countries.
- Hulio said, "There is no country we sold Pegasus to that the United States did not approve. So it's hypocritical to say that it's acceptable to sell 'F-35' aircraft, tanks, and drones but not acceptable to sell an intelligence-gathering tool.
