NSO Group, an Israeli cyber intelligence firm, developed Pegasus spyware as a surveillance tool. As claimed by the corporation, this firm is known for developing advanced software and technology for selling primarily to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of approved nations with the sole objective of saving lives by preventing crime and terror activities. Pegasus is one such software designed to get unauthorized access to your phone, gather personal and sensitive data, and transfer it to the user who is spying on you.
Pegasus spyware, according to Kaspersky, can read SMS messages and emails, listen to phone calls, take screenshots, record keystrokes, and access contacts and browser history. A hacker may commandeer the phone’s microphone and camera, turning it into a real-time monitoring device, according to another claim. It’s also worth mentioning that Pegasus is a complex and expensive spyware meant to spy on specific individuals, so the typical user is unlikely to come across it.
Pegasus malware snooped on journalists, activists, and certain government officials, and Apple, the tech giant that emphasizes user privacy, was a victim of the attack. Indeed, according to Amnesty’s assessment, Apple’s iPhone is the easiest to snoop on with Pegasus software. According to the leaked database, iPhones running iOS 14.6 feature a zero-click iMessage exploit, which could have been used to install Pegasus software on the targeted entities’ iPhones. The Cupertino behemoth has issued a statement condemning the assault.
Apple’s Head of Security Engineering and Architecture, Ivan Krsti, in a statement said, “Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals. While that means they are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections for their devices and data.”
Citizen Labs had already uncovered this flaw. Zero-click attacks are practically invisible and run in the background because they do not require the user’s involvement. In iOS 14, Apple included the Blastdoor framework to make zero-click attacks more difficult, although it does not appear to be operating as planned.
