Wednesday July 21, 2021
Attacks with espionage software
Israel sets up special team in Pegasus affair
The possibility of spying on the cell phones of numerous heads of state and journalists with the Pegasus surveillance software is alarming the international community. Israel now wants to get to the bottom of the revelations and is setting up a task force. The Mossad secret service is also part of the group.
According to insiders, Israel is reacting to the alleged espionage affair surrounding the Pegasus spyware software sold by the domestic company NSO with its own investigations. A special team was formed from representatives of various ministries, the foreign intelligence service Mossad and the army, as reported by the Internet news site Axios. Accordingly, there is concern in government circles that the reports could develop into a diplomatic crisis for Israel. A source said the team is led by the National Security Council, which reports directly to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The aim of the investigation is to fathom the processes. New export restrictions for the spyware, however, are unlikely.
The program manufacturer NSO said about the establishment of a task force, as described by the insiders, that the company welcomes every decision by the Israeli government. You are convinced that your own approach is impeccable. The company had previously stated that the Pegasus program was intended solely for the use of secret services and the police in the fight against terrorism and crime.
On Sunday, however, 17 media organizations reported that Pegasus had been used to spy on journalists, government officials and human rights activists. As the French newspaper “Le Monde” reported, one of France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron’s cell phone number is on a list of a Moroccan security service for possible spying. It is said from circles around Macron’s official residence that the media information did not mean that Macron’s cell phone was actually spied on. According to media reports, the Moroccan King Mohammed VI. are on the list of potential targets.
“The government of the Kingdom of Morocco categorically rejects these false and unfounded allegations,” said the Moroccan leadership. The North African country sees itself as a target of “hateful attacks” by the media and organizations involved in the revelations. Pegasus uses security holes in smartphone software to gain extensive access to data. The numbers of the French government belong to a data set with more than 50,000 telephone numbers.
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