Pegasus Spyware

 

Pegasus is a flying horse in Greek mythology. On the back of the horse is a hero called Belorophone, holding a spear in his hand. This hero defeats enemies by stabbing them with this spear. These days, Pegasus is the talk of the international media about spyware developed by an Israeli company. It simply means spyware. When we talk about this spyware, we are talking about a spear.

Belarus & Pegasus

Spying by Pegasus

Recently, there has been talk in the international media of Pegasus revealing that governments in about ten countries are using it to spy on their opponents. Countries that do so include India, Hungary, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Rwanda. You will find that many of these countries are ruled by dictatorial governments. Doubts have been raised as to whether this was used by Saudi Arabia to spy on the assassination of Jamal Kashogi. It is said that Pegasus is targeting not only the opposition activists in India but also some pol iticians in the ruling BJP itself. There are also allegations that India has targeted several foreign leaders, including Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Another important point here is the Israeli relationship. But before that let us look at the description of the spear.

Spear Phishing

Spear phishing involves accessing the target's mobile phone or computer by clicking on a link sent via text message or e - mail. After that it becomes a device to spy on that person. Activists of this covert operation have the opportunity to focus on the messages, telephone calls, etc. that he or she sends and receives. They can also use the phone's camera and listen to it through its microphone.

Nowadays Pegasus software allows users to access the phone without the need to click. They use a bug (simply a bug) in the phone's operating system to gain access.

NSO Group

This dangerous software was created by the NSO group in Israel. Founded about ten years ago, the company was started by New Carmi, Omri Levy and Shalev Hulio. The name NSO is derived from the initials of all three. All three were former employees of Unit 8200 in Israel. Unit 8200 is a specialist intelligence and intelligence agency.

Shortly after starting the NSO group, New Carmey left the group. Later its ownership changed several times. Today, the company is owned by the Novalpine Fund, along with its other two founders, Omri Levy and Shalev Hulio.

Pegasus software has been around for a long time. The Mexican government says Mexican drug trafficker El Chapo Guzmn was arrested a few years ago on information obtained from Pegasus software. The incident greatly influenced the publicity of Pegasus.

Later it was also used for various illegal activities. WhatsApp alleged in 2019 that Pegasus had used malicious software to send a number of phones through its service. NSO is currently embroiled in lawsuits filed by various parties, including Facebook.

The Israeli connection

Although the NSO Group is a private company, the Israeli government is directly responsible for the distribution of Pegasus software to other countries and their misuse, and they cannot escape it. Let us now analyze the reasons.

First of all, the Pegasus software is actually what Israel calls a weapon. If it is created by a private company but is supplied to another country, that is, exported, the approval of the Government of Israel is required. And only another government can afford it. It cannot be given to private institutions or individuals in foreign countries. If so, the Israeli government is well aware of the countries to which Pegasus software is being offered.

Pegasus belongs to the category of dual control technologies. In English we can call it a technology that can be used for both good and bad. Software such as Pegasus can be used to trap drug traffickers as well as anti-democratic activities such as cracking down on opposition activists. Such dual control technologies are governed by the WASANAR agreement. About fifty countries are involved in this. Israel has stated in the past that it will abide by its rules and regulations, although not directly.

According to the agreement, once a country has provided these technologies to a country, it has a responsibility to inform other countries as well as to look into their use. Israel cannot escape this responsibility either.

Newspapers such as The Guardian allege that the supply of Pegasus software to India coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in 2017. That is, it happened with the knowledge of then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is alleged that the ambassador provided the information to Hussein.