Israeli Spyware NSO Group developers were faced with increasing legal pressure and controversy as its hacking tools continue abused by repressive regimes and law enforcement worldwide. Now, Apple has notified a slew of iPhone users, including at least nine US State Department employees, that their devices have been compromised in recent months by unknown hackers. using NSO tools.
Sources told Reuters, first report news, that affected US government officials are working in Uganda or on topics related to the country. Uganda’s political figures also seem to targeted in the campaign. The attacks use NSO’s Pegasus spyware, which works on both Apple’s iOS mobile operating system and Google’s Android operating system, has been reported. detect because the year. Once installed on a device, Pegasus can track the user’s location, activate their microphone, steal data, etc.
This latest example of abuse underscores exactly what privacy and human rights advocates have long warned: that NSO does not have adequate controls in place to restrict how customers use it. the powerful tools they sell. And the company’s repeated assurances to the contrary — including that its spyware can’t be used on devices registered with US phone numbers — ring.
“Once software is sold to a licensed customer, NSO has no way of knowing who the target customer is, so we cannot and cannot know about the case,” a spokesperson for the company said. NSO Group, Liron Bruck said in a statement, adding that the company had “decided to immediately terminate the relevant customer’s access to the system.” The statement went on to say that it did not have “any indication that NSO tools were used in this case.”
That statement of justifiable disclaimer is common to the NSO Corporation. In a july interview with Forbes, CEO Shalev Hulio compared his company to an automaker that sells cars to someone who then drives drunk. But the powerful spyware used by governments is a far cry from cars, and NSO critics say the company has never done enough to curb the inevitable abuses its flagship product faces. cause.
Jake Williams, an incident responder and former NSA hacker, said: “To the extent that NSO’s claims of limiting their customer targeting are even credible, this shows that The railings in NSO products are not enough. “This was completely predictable. When governments have capacity sold to them by the NSO and have unmet intelligence requirements, we should absolutely expect those governments to use whatever tools are at their disposal.”
Secure messaging app WhatsApp, owned by parent company Facebook Meta, sue NSO Group in 2019 after its tools were accused hacked thousands of victims by exploiting the service. Apple has entered the fray with its own suit last week. And in early November, the US Department of Commerce sanctioned NSO Group for abusing their Pegasus spyware.
“You have to wonder if these attacks by the State Department are the reason why NSO is sanctioned,” Williams said.
