The Pegasus Project was an investigation that led to a data leak. The media organizations that were involved in the leak include The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Wire, and more.
Pegasus is a surveillance application that authoritarian governments use to target individuals who they deem to be threats to their rule. This list of individuals includes human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and ordinary citizens. ..
NSO Group, an Israeli company, creates and sells a mobile application that is usually used by governments to fight terrorism. ..
This app is a spying app that can track and spy on your mobile device.
Apple’s Mac computers are often seen as being very safe, but is this really the case? ..
What Did the Leak Reveal?
- That the NSO Group’s government clients have been selecting phone numbers as potential targets for surveillance since 2016.
- That these targets were selected and logged into a system on a specific date and time.
- That this project was carried out by 80+ journalists over the course of several months. ..
The NSO Group’s clients were potentially selected as targets by the group to surveil at different points, beginning from 2016. One thing to note is that while the list indicates the intent to potentially surveil these individuals, it does not indicate that there was an attempt to have Pegasus secretly installed on these devices. Based on the forensic sampling of 67 smartphones (those belonging to people who were willing to have their devices submitted for an examination), Amnesty strongly suspected an attack by Pegasus. Of these, 23 were successfully infected by Pegasus, while 14 others showed signs of attempted penetration by the application. According to this guide on Android spy apps, this can be attributed to the fact that, unlike iOS devices, Android devices require physical access for most spy apps to be installed on them. The NSO group sells Pegasus to 60 clients across 40 countries but refused to disclose this client list. However, based on the forensic analysis and the phones that were shown to have the app installed or displayed signs of an attempt, Amnesty identified the following countries – Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and India among others. The NSO Group has stayed firm on its stance that it doesn’t have a database of its customers’ targets. It also mentioned that the 50,000 number was an exaggeration and that the media partners got the list of countries wrong.
What Does This Big Reveal Indicate For The Common Person?
This big reveal could mean a lot for the average Joe. While Pegasus is a sophisticated program that costs a bomb, the market is flooded with other spy apps that find more use among common people. This could mean that people are using these apps more often than they thought and that this could lead to new ways of spying on people.
Some people use the tracking devices to monitor employees or children, and in some cases, also to spy on people.
This concurrent global rise in cybercrime and COVID-19 pandemic has been further exacerbated over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This change in working environment has led to a decrease in viewership for many networks, as people are now using their home networks to watch their favorite shows and movies.
Many employees are using personal computers and laptops at work, rather than the more secure ones at their workplaces. ..
Technology has become increasingly popular in recent years, with many people feeling insecure about its use. This insecurity is further exacerbated by the fact that technology is affordable and readily available today. ..
What Can One Do to Protect Themselves From These Dangers Online?
- Use a VPN service to anonymize their traffic.
- Use a secure browser extension or app that encrypts your browsing data.
- Use an encrypted messaging service like Signal or WhatsApp.
- Use a secure email service like MailChimp or ProtonMail.
- Use an effective antivirus program to keep your devices safe from being infected by any type of virus.
- Always use a VPN when you’re relying on a public WiFi network to get work done. This can go a long way in keeping your devices safe from someone who can potentially use a common network to hack your devices.
In Conclusion
The Pegasus Project is a secret project that is possibly the biggest story of our time when it comes to the subject of technological privacy and online safety. The project is designed to help protect people from being tracked and monitored online.
The use of this software by the military could potentially put civilians at risk, as they are not immune to such invasions. Unless people choose to live without technology, they must be prepared for anything. ..
This website provides evidence that such apps are capable of doing great things, even if they’re much cheaper and targeted at the average individual.
This reveal has been crucial in furthering this conversation because it is important for all others to take measures to ensure their safety and privacy online.