Context:

• In May 2019, WhatsApp identified that a bug in the app’s call function was used to install a malicious code into users’ phones.
• On October 29, it identified the malicious code as Pegasus, a spyware developed by an Israeli company, NSO.
• WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook have sued NSO in a U.S. court.
  • The NSO Group is a Tel Aviv-based cyber-security company that specialises in “surveillance technology” and claims to help governments and law enforcement agencies across the world fight crime and terrorism.

How does Pegasus come into your phone?

• The code is transmitted by calling the target phone on WhatsApp.
• The code enters the phone even if the call is not answered.

What does Pegasus do?

• Once installed, Pegasus can send the target’s contacts, calendar events, phone calls on and messages on communication apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to the spyware’s controller.
• It could steal messages from even services that offer encryption because it was taking the messages before the encryption process.
• The controller can also turn the phone into a spying device by switching on its camera or microphone.

Who was targeted?

According to reports, over 100 human-rights activists, lawyers, and journalists were targeted across the globe. This included several lawyers and journalists in India.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/pegasus-the-spyware-that-came-in-via-whatsapp-how-safe-are-you/article29845259.ece?homepage=true

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