Pegasus: Report finds spyware used to target journalists, activists
NSO Group sold the surveillance tool to authoritarian governments, investigation finds


Spyware manufactured by Israeli firm NSO Group was sold to authoritarian governments to target at least 50,000 journalists, government and union officials, human rights activists, business executives, religious figures, academics, NGO employees, and lawyers, an investigation has found.
This investigation was conducted by 17 media organisations, including the Washington Post and the Guardian, which published a list of more than 50,000 affected phone numbers over the weekend.
The media outlets, known collectively as the Pegasus Project, found that the NSO Group had been selling its Pegasus spyware to the governments of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
Pegasus was used to extract messages, photos, and emails, as well as to record calls and activate microphones on iOS and Android devices. These included mobile phones belonging to close associates of the murdered journalists Jamal Khashoggi, from the Washington Post, and Cecilio Pineda Birto, a Mexican freelance reporter. Mexico was found to be the NSO Group’s largest client, with over 15,000 affected phone numbers being linked to the country.
The NSO Group denied the allegations, adding that they were considering legal action against the media publications.
“We would like to emphasise that NSO sells it[s] technologies solely to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments for the sole purpose of saving lives through preventing crime and terror acts. NSO does not operate the system and has no visibility to the data,” the company stated on its website.
RELATED RESOURCE
“Our technologies are being used every day to break up pedophilia rings, sex and drug-trafficking rings, locate missing and kidnapped children, locate survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, and protect airspace against disruptive penetration by dangerous drones. Simply put, NSO Group is on a life-saving mission, and the company will faithfully execute this mission undeterred, despite any and all continued attempts to discredit it on false grounds,” it added.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Pegasus Project partner, Amnesty International’s secretary general Agnès Callamard, described the Pegasus spyware as “a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril”.
“These revelations blow apart any claims by NSO that such attacks are rare and down to rogue use of their technology. While the company claims its spyware is only used for legitimate criminal and terror investigations, it’s clear its technology facilitates systemic abuse. They paint a picture of legitimacy, while profiting from widespread human rights violations,” she added.
Callamard also called for “an immediate moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology” until sufficient regulations are set in place.
Last year, it was revealed that Facebook had attempted to purchase NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to monitor iOS users.
Having only graduated from City University in 2019, Sabina has already demonstrated her abilities as a keen writer and effective journalist. Currently a content writer for Drapers, Sabina spent a number of years writing for ITPro, specialising in networking and telecommunications, as well as charting the efforts of technology companies to improve their inclusion and diversity strategies, a topic close to her heart.
Sabina has also held a number of editorial roles at Harper's Bazaar, Cube Collective, and HighClouds.
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?
In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
By Kate O'Flaherty Published
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25
News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Greek intelligence allegedly uses Predator spyware to wiretap Facebook security staffer
News The employee’s device was infected through a link pretending to confirm a vaccination appointment
By Zach Marzouk Published
-
North Korean-linked Gmail spyware 'SHARPEXT' harvesting sensitive email content
News The insidious software exfiltrates all mail and attachments, researchers warn, putting sensitive documents at risk
By Rory Bathgate Published
-
Young hacker faces 20-year prison sentence for creating prolific Imminent Monitor RAT
News He created the RAT when he was aged just 15 and is estimated to have netted around $400,000 from the sale of it over six years
By Connor Jones Published
-
European company unmasked as cyber mercenary group with ties to Russia
News The company that's similar to NSO Group has been active since 2016 and has used different zero-days in Windows and Adobe products to infect victims with powerful, evasive spyware
By Connor Jones Published
-
Mysterious MacOS spyware discovered using public cloud storage as its control server
News Researchers have warned that little is known about the 'CloudMensis' malware, including how it is distributed and who is behind it
By Rory Bathgate Published
-
Apple launching Lockdown Mode with iOS 16 to guard against Pegasus-style spyware
News Apple breaks its bug bounty record with $2 million top prize, alongside $10 million grant funding, as it launches industry-first protections for highly targeted individuals
By Connor Jones Published
-
El Salvador becomes latest target of Pegasus spyware
News The list of nations with access to Pegasus is growing, with evidence pointing to potential links between 35 confirmed Pegasus cases and the Salvadoran government
By Connor Jones Published
-
Egyptian exiles targeted with Predator spyware resembling NSO Group's Pegasus
News A high-profile politician and journalist have been targeted with spyware likely spread using WhatsApp messages
By Connor Jones Published