2019 – Posted in: Daily News – Tags: Israel firm- NSO Group

PEGASUS SPYWARE

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topics covered: About Pegasus, what is spyware, Pegasus – Highlights

News Flash

It is the spyware tool used by Israeli firm NSO Group.

Pegasus spyware can harvest data from Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft cloud accounts.
Many users rely on cloud storage to save photos, messages, along with other encrypted filed, all of that information could be compromised.
The spyware can access the cloud information without “prompting 2-step verification” or warning the user by via email.

Spyware

Spyware is unwanted software that infiltrates computing devices, stealing internet usage data and sensitive information.
It gathers information about a person or organization, sometimes without their knowledge.
It may send such information to another entity without the consumer’s consent.
Spyware asserts control over a device without the consumer’s knowledge, or it may send such information to another entity with the consumer’s consent, through cookies.
Spyware is classified as a type of malware — malicious software designed to gain access to or damage your computer.

How Pegasus can get cloud information?

Pegasus is able to copy authentication keys to these services and can then independently download the entire data and online history of the target.
Spyware can infect- Android and iOS devices, and can also spread to laptops and tablets.
Even if the spyware is removed from the original target device, it can continue to spread and copy the data.

Pegasus and WhatsApp voice call spyware

Pegasus spyware in WhatsApp, allowed to access the phone’s camera and microphone, and collect location data.
The software took advantage of a security hole in WhatsApp’s voice call function to carry out the attack.
The attackers could simply call a user to install the surveillance software.
This was successful even when the call was not taken and at times the call would even show up in the user’s call log, thus the user would not know that their device had been compromised.

Way ahead

Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

NSO Group stated that they provide “authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime”

Source: Indian Express

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