Feb 05, 2024 Newsroom Spyware / Surveillance
The iPhones belonging to nearly three dozen journalists, activists, human rights lawyers, and civil society members in Jordan have been targeted with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, according to joint findings from Access Now and the Citizen Lab.
Nine of the 35 individuals have been publicly confirmed as targeted, out of whom six had their devices compromised with the mercenary surveillanceware tool. The infections are estimated to have taken place from at least 2019 until September 2023.
"In some cases, perpetrators posed as journalists, seeking an interview or a quote from victims, while embedding malicious links to Pegasus spyware amid and in between their messages," Access Now said.
"A number of victims were reinfected with Pegasus spyware multiple times — demonstrating the relentless nature of this targeted surveillance campaign."
The Israeli company has been under the radar for failing to implement rigorous human rights safeguards prior to selling its cyber intelligence technology to government clients and law enforcement agencies for "preventing and investigating terrorism and serious crimes."
NSO Group, in its 2023 Transparency and Responsibility Report, touted a "significant decrease" in reports of product misuse during 2022 and 2023, attributing the downturn to its due diligence and review process.
