According to theNew York Times, Apple has warned several Russian iPhone users that their device may have been compromised by Pegasus. This spyware is capable of accessing iOS content without informing the owner of the mobile, in complete discretion. The targets here are journalists, probably monitored by Vladimir Putin's government. But it is difficult to verify with confidence the identity of the sponsor, who therefore remains officially unknown. NSO Group does not reveal its customers. He is the developer ofspyware.
A malicious program like Pegasus can notably view photos stored on an iPhone, taking control of them remotely. But the software can go even further and read conversations exchanged with third parties, including when these are end-to-end encrypted as with WhatsApp. No, theMeta Privacy Promiseis therefore clearly not infallible in the face of such a value proposition.
What are the risks today?
Despite everything, the license to exploit the performance of Pegasus would still cost a whopping twenty million dollars. And again: these are figures that leaked before inflation, which have therefore perhaps been revised upwards since. To fear spyware, you must therefore face serious threats, and who have the means to afford its services.
Although NSO Group therefore remains silent about its partnerships, its main clients would be government agencies and law enforcement institutions, such as the police or intelligence. In France,It is also rumored that the DGSI is working on its own alternative. But boxes have already been capable of reading the content of smartphones belonging to defendants for many years. And this, without their consent and even before their potential guilt is demonstrated by any judge. It's the law.
Protect yourself well
There are some best practices to prevent spyware from being downloaded onto a smartphone without your knowledge. First of all, you should absolutely avoid opening unknown links.This is how Jeff Bezos' iPhone was allegedly hacked. A maneuver which will have cost him a whopping thirty-five billion dollars: his wife will leave with 25% of his shares in the Amazon company, by divorcing. The fault of the Prince of Saudi Arabia, who allegedly discovered intimate photos between the boss of the group and his mistress, on his phone, before disclosing them…
With this, cybersecurity experts recommend never taking your smartphone with you during sensitive meetings (board meetings, legal interviews, negotiations, etc.). This way, if the mic can be activated remotely, you are protected.
In short:
- Pegasus infected Russian journalists' smartphones
- Spyware does not attack everyone: don't panic
- To avoid being targeted, don't click on unknown links
i-nfo.fr - Official iPhon.fr app
By : Keleops AG
