Pegasus is one of the most well-known and controversial surveillance tools in the world. It is a commercial spyware platform developed by the Israeli cybersecurity company NSO Group.
Pegasus is designed to infiltrate smartphones and allow investigators to monitor nearly every aspect of a target’s digital life.
Capabilities
Once installed, Pegasus can access:
• Messages and emails
• Photos and files
• Real-time GPS location
• Microphone and camera recordings
• Call history
• App activity
It can effectively transform a smartphone into a continuous intelligence collection device.
Zero-Click Attacks
Pegasus became infamous for using zero-click exploits, meaning the spyware could infect devices without the user clicking a link or downloading anything.
In some cases, the attack occurred simply when a device received a specially crafted message.
Global Controversy
Investigations by journalists and security researchers revealed that Pegasus had been used to target:
• Journalists
• Human rights activists
• Political opposition figures
• Government officials
These revelations triggered international debate over the ethics and regulation of commercial spyware.
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