Let's discuss Pegasus Spyware.
: "Pegasus is spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones... As of 2022, Pegasus was capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, location tracking, accessing the target device's microphone and camera, and harvesting information from apps. The spyware is named after Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. It is a Trojan horse computer virus that can be sent "flying through the air" to infect cell phones."
"The Pegasus Project lays bare how NSO’s spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril." -Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Version 2 of the spyware can infect any phone using only a phone number. No action is needed on the part of the victim.
General Info
PBS megablog:
Instances
It would be interesting to see this data dump. Is this data available to the public?
Government Use/Response
Why would representatives oppose the FBI use of a surveillance tool? My guess is because it could easily be used on them.
This information seems conflicting. The US government both is and isn't taking action against the software? Could they be opposing the software to save face, but turning around and using it?
Apple Response
Do we know if this is true?
Tech
Does this seem legit? The applications of such a dated crack seem very limited. This could give some insight on how to protect against later versions on the application.
Related Software
This is made by a company called . It was formed by two former members of NSO. Possible attempt to escape public controversy?
Questions?
Is this still an active threat? Most likely. Apple claims to have fixed the issue, but NSO is continuing to release updates leveraging new exploits. Android doesn't seem to have released any kind of patch. Watchdog organizations have released methods of detecting the exploit, but it's unclear whether the exploit can effectively be removed from a device. Some sources claim NSO has stopped development and sales of Pegasus, but current lawsuits and political actions claim otherwise.
What kind of action is being taken? The US governments response seems two-faced. They outwardly denounce the use of this software, while their agencies use it behind closed doors. A lawsuit from Meta is being leveraged against NSO, but little progress has been made on that front. Several other companies and organizations have filed suit as well.
What are your thoughts on this situation? How should this situation be dealt with? Is NSO behaving ethically? Are government organizations behaving ethically? What dangers does this pose to citizens? to democracy? to governments/military? to the world at large?
: "Pegasus is spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones... As of 2022, Pegasus was capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, location tracking, accessing the target device's microphone and camera, and harvesting information from apps. The spyware is named after Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. It is a Trojan horse computer virus that can be sent "flying through the air" to infect cell phones."
"The Pegasus Project lays bare how NSO’s spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril." -Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Version 2 of the spyware can infect any phone using only a phone number. No action is needed on the part of the victim.
General Info
PBS megablog:
Instances
It would be interesting to see this data dump. Is this data available to the public?
Government Use/Response
Why would representatives oppose the FBI use of a surveillance tool? My guess is because it could easily be used on them.
This information seems conflicting. The US government both is and isn't taking action against the software? Could they be opposing the software to save face, but turning around and using it?
Apple Response
Do we know if this is true?
Tech
Does this seem legit? The applications of such a dated crack seem very limited. This could give some insight on how to protect against later versions on the application.
Related Software
This is made by a company called . It was formed by two former members of NSO. Possible attempt to escape public controversy?
Questions?
Is this still an active threat? Most likely. Apple claims to have fixed the issue, but NSO is continuing to release updates leveraging new exploits. Android doesn't seem to have released any kind of patch. Watchdog organizations have released methods of detecting the exploit, but it's unclear whether the exploit can effectively be removed from a device. Some sources claim NSO has stopped development and sales of Pegasus, but current lawsuits and political actions claim otherwise.
What kind of action is being taken? The US governments response seems two-faced. They outwardly denounce the use of this software, while their agencies use it behind closed doors. A lawsuit from Meta is being leveraged against NSO, but little progress has been made on that front. Several other companies and organizations have filed suit as well.
What are your thoughts on this situation? How should this situation be dealt with? Is NSO behaving ethically? Are government organizations behaving ethically? What dangers does this pose to citizens? to democracy? to governments/military? to the world at large?
