NSO, the Israeli company that developed Pegasus spyware, has revealed that it is examining reports that the company’s technology was used to target the iPhones of U.S. diplomats in Africa.

“In addition to the open investigation it will cooperate with any relevant government authority and provide us with all the information we have,” it said in a statement.

“Although its use of the software has not been confirmed, (Reuters) (Washington Post) chose to suspend access to some of its clients’ systems due to the seriousness of the allegations reported.”

The U.S. newspaper reported that Apple 11 had warned U.S. diplomats that their iPhones would be hacked in the coming months, citing acquaintances as “targeting officials working in Uganda or East Africa.”

The scandal has surrounded Pegasus since reports surfaced that foreign government agents were using Pegasus to target the phones of human rights activists, embassy staff and others.

As part of that, Apple filed a lawsuit against the company last month, trying to prevent the NSO from using its services to target more than a billion “iPhone” devices worldwide.

A few weeks before the lawsuit was filed, the NSO was blacklisted for export control over allegations that “the Israeli company has enabled foreign governments to carry out cross-border repression.”

The Pegasus program allows you to read text messages on the target person’s phone, search for their photos, track their location, and turn on the camera without their knowledge.

Researchers at Citizen Lab, a Canadian cybersecurity firm, have identified a “zero-click” attack that could silently destroy a target device.

Source: “AFP”

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