Not clear if this is continuation of Biden's smackdown (that recently took down alleged war criminal leader of our close ally based on racial ideologies) but somewhat noteworthy that this story has been top headline today on google news page:
Israeli spyware used to target phones of journalists and activists, investigation findsQuote:
Stop what you're doing and read this. This leak is going to be the story of the year: (LINK: https://t.co/zhC0LN4TlC) pic.twitter.com/doo4HDDzxt
—Edward Snowden (@Snowden) July 18, 2021
Published Sun, Jul 18 2021
Emma Newburger
- Private Israeli spy software was used to hack dozens of smartphones that belonged to reporters, human rights activists and the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to an investigation by the Washington Post and 16 other news organizations.
- The military-grade spyware was reportedly licensed by the Israeli spyware firm NSO Group.
Private Israeli spy software was used to hack dozens of smartphones that belonged to reporters, human rights activists, business executives and the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a sweeping investigation by the Washington Post and 16 other news organizations.
The military-grade spyware was reportedly licensed by the Israeli spyware firm NSO Group. The investigation discovered that the hacked phones were on a list of more than 50,000 numbers based in countries known to surveil people.
The list of numbers were shared with the Post and other media organizations by Paris-based journalism nonprofit Hidden Stories and human rights group Amnesty International.
cnbc.com/2021/07/18/israeli-spyware-used-to-target-phones-of-journalists-and-activists-investigation-finds.html
Related
A congress member had made some stunning statements regarding America's first minoriry First Son-in-law:
Congressman Joaquin Castro accuses Trump son-in-law Kushner of orchestrating killing of Khashoggi
“Morning Joe” co-hosts claim that Trump son-in-law Kushner attempted to blackmail the morning show
thewrap.com/jared-kushner-told-morning-joe-to-apologize-to-trump-report/
Snowden issues surveillance warning to Israelis
Trump demanded top-secret clearance for Kushner despite concerns of Kelly and intelligence officials
Potentially Related
Alpha smackdown.. May 20: Netanyahu defies Biden, June 13: Netanyahu out
Update 1:
WaPo Frontpage today has a dedicated section for this breaking story:
Quote:
"Democracy Dies in Darkness"
July 21, 2021
A global investigation
Prime ministers, presidents and a king found on list that includes phone numbers targeted by spyware
Among 50,000 phone numbers, the Pegasus Project found those of hundreds of public officials.
Invisible surveillance: How spyware is secretly hacking smartphones
An investigation by a consortium of media organizations has found that military-grade spyware licensed by an Israeli firm has been used to hack smartphones.
By Jon Gerberg
Takeaways from the investigation: New details of hacking carry worldwide implications
By Washington Post Staff
How Pegasus works, who is vulnerable and why it’s hard to protect yourself from hacks
By Craig Timberg and Drew Harwell
How Washington power brokers gained from NSO’s spyware ambitions
By Drew Harwell
More Coverage
A Major Shift in US Media Coverage
There also appears to be a major diveregnce in media coverage of this story. Perhaps in part due to recent phenomenon of fracturing of so called "Israel lobby" and journalists of some prominent media outlets like WaPo, WSJ, NYT reportedly being among the targets of this spyware.
Google news has had this story as top news for couple of days and there is pretty extensive coverage in much of online US/UK/global media. Don't recall seeing such extensive coverage of a news story by online media in recent times.
One glaring exception appears to be online news aggregator "Drudge Report" (that had put itself on the map years ago when it broke Prez Bill Clinton-Monica Lewisnky romantic connection story minus the political blackmail/Israel connection aspects reported elsewhere later), it has zero mention so far of this exploding international news story.
July 21, 2021
Google News "Full Coverage" of this news:
Top coverage
Quote:
Scoop: Israel forms damage control team after NSO Pegasus spyware reports
13 hours ago
Heads of state found on list of numbers examined by Pegasus Project
13 hours ago
NSO Group Spyware Potentially Used to Surveil World Leaders
Presidents, Prime Ministers, and a King Among Potential NSO Spying Targets, Including French Leader Macron
9 hours ago
Pegasus Scandal should be a wake-up call for US: Bloomberg
7 minutes ago
Amnesty Int'l Calls for Moratorium on Private Spyware After Israeli NSO Group Pegasus Revelations
19 hours ago
Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP
NPR
Former U.N. Adviser Says Global Spyware Is A Threat To Democracy
13 hours ago
Israel company NSO, linked to Pegasus case, present in Luxembourg, says minister
15 hours ago
Photo: Ludovic Marin | AFP
Macron and 15 French minister's phone numbers on Pegasus spyware list, reports say
38 minutes ago
International
The Washington Post
U.S. and E.U. security officials wary of NSO links to Israeli intelligence
22 hours ago
Israeli Government said to form team to deal with fallout of NSO spyware revelations
12 hours ago
The Pegasus Project media index
2 days ago
CNN
See how 17 news outlets are coming together to expose Pegasus spyware
2 days ago
iMessage on iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Models Reportedly Compromised by Pegasus Spyware
Yesterday
EUobserver
EU condemns 'Pegasus' spyware use on journalists
Yesterday
International
The Spyware Tool Tracking Dissidents Around the World
10 hours ago
Protests erupt in India’s parliament over Israeli spyware scandal
17 hours ago
Report: Israeli government okayed NSO's Pegasus sale to Saudis
3 hours ago
You can check your iPhone for Pegasus spyware (unlikely as it is)
21 hours ago
UN News
Pegasus: Human rights-compliant laws needed to regulate spyware
2 days ago
Indian opposition disrupts parliament, seeks probe into Pegasus
21 hours ago
International
Oppn To Hold Strategy Meeting Over Pegasus Spyware Row
Yesterday
International
Apple under pressure over iPhone security after NSO spyware claims
19 hours ago
NSO Group spent millions on Washington lobbyists to woo US government as it pushed Pegasus spyware
13 hours ago
New details show how Pegasus was used to spy on political opponents
Yesterday
NewsX
France to investigate alleged spying attempt by Morocco
12 hours ago
International
Macron among 14 heads of states on potential spyware list
12 hours ago
International
The Sun
How to check if YOUR iPhone or Android is infected with Pegasus spy software...
21 hours ago
Pegasus row: NSO 'ripped apart' Apple's security and privacy features, says Amnesty
16 hours ago
Defense minister says Israel studying allegations against NSO Group
20 hours ago
Amazon kicks NSO Group activity off its cloud service after spying reports
2 days ago
Leak Reportedly Exposes Global Abuse Of Cyber-Surveillance Weapon To Target Journalists, Activists And Politicians
2 days ago
PhoneArena
The iPhone is not that secure, and the Pegasus hack proved it
20 hours ago
The Hill
Spyware targeted Khashoggi's wife before his death: report | TheHill
2 days ago
Why isn't Israel held accountable for spying on journalists?
2 days ago
Paris prosecutor to investigate alleged Pegasus hacking after complaint by French journalists
Yesterday
Pegasus Revelations: Amazon Says it will Shut Down Infrastructure Linked to NSO Spyware Firm
17 hours ago
At least two serving ministers in the Modi government also feature in the leaked database [Reuters]
India’s PM Modi accused of ‘treason’ over Pegasus spyware scandal
Yesterday
Pegasus spyware infected several iPhone units using iMessage zero-click attack
Pegasus Spyware: What Is It? How Does It Infect Your Phone? How Can You Check if Your Phone Has Been Targ...
21 hours ago
OCCRP
Where NSO Group Came From — And Why It's Just the Tip of the Iceberg
20 hours ago
DW News
Pegasus spyware: Up to 40 journalists targeted
Yesterday
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Azerbaijani Journalist Talks About Spyware Hack Of Her Phone
2 days ago
Amazon shuts down cloud infrastructure linked to Israeli firm NSO
21 hours ago
Oh great, now I've gotta check my phone for Pegasus spyware?
Yesterday
Urgent warning to check your cell as thousands of iPhone 11 and 12 models ‘infected by Israeli spyware’...
19 hours ago
Associated Press
EXPLAINER: Target list of Israeli hack-for-hire firm widens
2 days ago
U.S. News & World Report
Protests Erupt in India's Parliament Over Spyware Scandal
9 hours ago
French President Macron among those targeted by international Pegasus smartphone spyware operation
5 hours ago
French prosecutor opens probe following 'Pegasus Project' report
22 hours ago
Cult of Mac
Everything you need to know about the Pegasus spyware infecting smartphones
21 hours ago
MIT Technology Review
What the latest Pegasus spyware leaks tell us
2 days ago
U.S. News & World Report
French Prosecutor Opens Probe After Pegasus Spyware Complaint
Yesterday
The Moscow Times
Why Is Russia Not Using Pegasus Spyware?
1 hour ago
Israeli firm NSO Group tied to high-level hacks
2 days ago
'Pegasus' Spyware Infects Phones, Steals Photos, Secretly Films Owners
17 hours ago
Pegasus spying reports 'completely unacceptable,' says EU's von der Leyen
2 days ago
This tool tells you if NSO’s Pegasus spyware targeted your phone
2 days ago
French prosecutors open probe into alleged use of Pegasus malware to spy on journalists
Yesterday
Israeli firm's spyware targeted journalists: media
2 days ago
International
XDA Developers
Zero-click iMessage exploit was used to spy on journalists
2 days ago
What is Pegasus, the Israeli mobile phone spyware used by governments around the world?
18 hours ago
International
TechRepublic
Your iPhone and the Pegasus spyware hack: What you need to know
14 hours ago
Associated Press
UN rights chief alarmed by reported use of powerful spyware
2 days ago
EXPLAINED: What is the Israeli spyware Pegasus and how does it infect phones?
Yesterday
What is Pegasus spyware and how can you tell if it’s on your phone?Pegasus: What is the Israeli spyware and how can you tell if it’s on your phone? | The Independent
Pegasus: What is the Israeli spyware and how can you tell if it’s on your phone?
Yesterday
Pegasus Spyware Reportedly Hacked Thousands of iPhones Worldwide. Here’s What to Know
12 hours ago
FRANCE 24
Pegasus scandal shows risk of Israel's spy-tech diplomacy: experts
2 days ago
International
FRANCE 24 English
50000 phone numbers worldwide on list linked to Israeli spyware • FRANCE 24 English
2 days ago
July 21, 2021
Drudge Report:
Lot of "Delta" covid variamt headlines, ZERO coverage of Israeli spyware news stories:
Quote:
DELTA GRIPS USA
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS EXTENDED
CA HOSPITALIZATIONS HIGHEST IN MONTHS
DRUDGE REPORT
EXPLAINED: What is the Israeli spyware Pegasus and how does it infect phones?
timesnownews.com/technology-science/article/explained-what-is-the-israeli-spyware-pegasus-and-how-does-it-infect-phones/787538Quote:
Tech
Times Now Digital
Jul 20, 2021
If Pegasus successfully infiltrates a target's phone, it can effectively turn it into a round-the-clock surveillance device.
Key Highlights
- The NSO Group is an Israeli-based outfit set up by former Israeli intelligence officials, marketing surveillance software to government agencies
- The earliest version of Pegasus, which came to light in 2016, infiltrated phones via a technique known as spear-phishing – where a text message or email was sent to a target that tricked him/her into clicking on a malicious link
- Zero-click attacks aim to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in installed software or operating systems that developers or manufacturers are not in the know about
Dubbed by many as the most sophisticated mobile surveillance tool available, Pegasus, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, has once again become the centre of attention following the leaking of a list of some 50,000 phone numbers of alleged targets to Paris-based journalism non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International.
The list was shared with an international consortium of news outlets that include The Washington Post and The Guardian among several others. Security researchers have, reportedly, determined that attempts were made to install the spyware on, at least, 37 phones of journalists, businesspeople and activists.
What is NSO Group?
The NSO Group is an Israeli-based outfit set up by former Israeli intelligence officials, marketing surveillance software to government agencies. Reportedly founded in 2010, the firm first came to prominence when an Arab activist suspected his phone may have been compromised after receiving a suspicious message.
Since then, the NSO Group has been implicated in various lawsuits and reports, including the hacking of former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2019, and the mobile device of now-deceased journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In 2019, the company attracted a lawsuit from Facebook which alleged that the Pegasus tool was employed to spy on several activists and journalists in India. At the time, Facebook-owned WhatsApp informed affected users via a message.
RELATED NEWS
Pegasus snooping: NSO’s spyware has successfully infected iPhone 11, iPhone 12 models: Amnesty International
How Pegasus works
If Pegasus successfully infiltrates a target's phone, it can effectively turn it into a round-the-clock surveillance device. It gains access to messages sent or received and photos and can record phone conversations.
It is also able to commandeer the phone's camera and microphone. In some cases, it may even be able to gain access to GPS information, enabling the surveilling party to trace the movements of a target.
The earliest version of Pegasus, which came to light in 2016, infiltrated phones via a technique known as spear-phishing – where a text message or email was sent to a target that tricked him/her into clicking on a malicious link that granted the spyware permission to be installed on the target's mobile device.
But the NSO Group's capabilities have swelled since then, and the latest version of Pegasus can, reportedly, infiltrate a target's phone without the need for him/her to perform any action at all.
These zero-click attacks aim to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in installed software or operating systems that developers or manufacturers are not in the know about. In the 2019 hack, the spyware exploited a 'zero-day bug in the WhatsApp application, that would see users receive a WhatsApp call and have the malicious code installed on their phone even if they didn't answer. Similarly, Apple's iMessage software has also fallen victim to Pegasus.
Claudio Guarnieri, the head of Amnesty International's Berlin-based Security Lab has also noted how the spyware has now grown so sophisticated that it may be able to evade even forensic analyses. “Things are becoming a lot more complicated for the targets to notice,” he said referring to the NSO Group's switch from using SMS-based phishing attacks to install Pegasus, to zero-click attacks.
If spear-phishing or zero-click exploits are not possible, Pegasus can also be installed using a wireless transceiver – also known as an IMSY catcher – placed near the target that mimics legitimate cellular towers and intercepts and manipulates mobile traffic across specific frequency bands.