Pegasus Explained: When Phones Become a Government Informant Weapon That Doesn’t Miss

Pegasus, a highly intrusive surveillance tool developed by Israel's NSO Group, has become emblematic of the growing clash between state surveillance capabilities and the right to digital privacy. Since its discovery in 2016, the spyware has triggered worldwide alarm due to its stealthy operations and the breadth of its potential for misuse.

Established in 2010, NSO Group presents itself as a cybersecurity firm aiding governments in lawful efforts to combat terrorism and organized crime. Its signature product, Pegasus, exemplifies a new era in spyware. The software can covertly infiltrate smartphones, often without any input from the device owner. Once embedded, it grants the operator access to a wide array of personal data, from text messages and call logs to microphone recordings and content within encrypted platforms like WhatsApp and Signal.

Awareness of Pegasus first surged when cybersecurity experts at Citizen Lab and Lookout unearthed a failed targeting attempt on a UAE-based human rights defender. Their probe exposed a sophisticated zero-day vulnerability that allowed Pegasus to compromise iPhones via a single malicious link, without the user’s knowledge or consent. This discovery laid bare the alarming capabilities of state-backed spyware and marked the beginning of a broader reckoning with its implications.

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