Israeli group NSO has been the talk of the town over the last week or so and for good reason. The company’s software Pegasus was reported to have been used to target devices used by activists and journalists the world over. Last week The Washington Post released details showing that the software was used to successfully hack the devices of 37 journalists and human rights activists.
As I am sure you are already aware this isn’t the first time Pegasus has found itself being cross-examined by the public. Back in 2019, NSO Group was sued by Facebook/WhatsApp for a breach that compromised the accounts of 1,400 WhatsApp users. Commenting on the most recent allegations, WhatsApp’s CEO, Will Catchcart said in an interview with The Guardian that the recent allegations are consistent with they saw a couple of years ago.
“The reporting matches what we saw in the attack we defeated two years ago, it is very consistent with what we were loud about then”
“This should be a wake up call for security on the internet … mobile phones are either safe for everyone or they are not safe for everyone.”
WhatsApp CEO, Will Cathcart via The Guardian
As my colleague mentioned last week in the article that could help you find out if your device has been targeted, government surveillance is now the order of the day even if you live in the “free world”. And with political landscapes constantly shifting and technology providing the tools to make it easier to snoop, whoever has the wherewithal can and will use it if it benefits them.
The focus on internet security during the pandemic has been more on faceless cyber criminals which should change from what we have seen from recent allegations against Pegasus. We should be asking the similar questions and implement the same measures for those who enforce laws. Because if a company as big as WhatsApp is making noise then there is a lot to be concerned about.
What’s your take?