The latest reports from a joint investigation by 17 of the world's leading media and a Paris-based NGO and Amnesty International show that three Israeli presidents, 10 prime ministers and a king have been targeted by Israeli spyware.
However, none of the 14 handed over their mobile phone sets to investigating journalists or their associates. As a result, it was not possible to forensically analyze whether Pegasus spyware was able to enter their mobile phones or monitor them after they were inserted.
The search, which lasted several months, examined more than 50,000 mobile phone numbers used by important people in different parts of the world. They include the president, prime minister, politicians, businessmen, scientists and even judges of the Supreme Court of India.
Three presidents, 10 prime ministers and one king among the 14 states and governments that have been found to have targeted Pegasus are three incumbent presidents - Emanuel Macron of France, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Barham Salih of Iraq.
Three of the ten prime ministers are still in power - Pakistan's Imran Khan, Egypt's Mustafa Madouli and Morocco's Saad-ud-Din Othmani.
The seven former prime ministers targeted for surveillance while in power are Edward Philippe of France, Charles Michel of Belgium, Obaid bin Daghar of Yemen, Saad Hariri of Lebanon, Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda, and Bakitjan Saginitar of Kazakhstan.
A king has also been targeted - Mohamed VI of Morocco.
The Washington Post reports that the sensitive information obtained by examining the mobile phone numbers used by current and former governments and heads of state has been confirmed by various reliable sources and government documents from within those countries. The newspaper says that they themselves have verified the identity of the user by calling a few numbers.
Which country has targeted which leader
The Guardian newspaper in London says that the Israeli spyware Pegasus was used to eavesdrop on the phone of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan!
It is believed that this spyware was inserted in Imran Khan's phone from India. Imran Khan has sought a detailed report from his technology ministry.
Attempts have been made to hack into the mobile phones of dozens of officials, including French President Macron and 14 French ministers in his government. They have been targeted from Morocco.
The French daily Le Monde, one of the partners in the search, said in a report that Mr Macron's phone targeted a Moroccan intelligence agency that he had been using since 2017.
It is said that about 10,000 phone numbers were hacked from Morocco, including former Belgian Prime Minister Michel, WHO chief and former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Iraqi President Salih and Lebanon's Saad Hariri have been targeted in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. South Africa's Ramaphosa and Uganda's Rugunda have been targeted in Rwanda.
There has been a strong reaction in France since the information was released on Tuesday. A statement from the French president's office said, "If the reports are true, it is very serious. The government will look into the matter."
NSO Group's Self-defense
For the past two days, the Israeli company NSO Group, the seller of Pegasus spyware, has been saying that these allegations about their software are fabricated and untrue.
They are unwilling to accept that the 50,000 leaked mobile phone numbers that were analyzed were or are being targeted for surveillance.
But the Washington Post and the Guardian say a forensic examination of six smartphones with these numbers at Amnesty's security lab confirmed that either Pegasus software had been inserted or attempted to be inserted into 36 of them.
The NSO says 60 government agencies in 40 countries are its buyers, and the Israeli company says it sells the software only to monitor serious criminals such as terrorists and child sex offenders, drug traffickers or human traffickers.
The NSO claims that buyers are conditioned not to target "innocent civilians", including politicians, with the software.
The NSO said in a statement in response to various questions from the research project that it regularly monitors how buyer states are using the software and stops using it if conditions are breached.
But there is no evidence yet that the NSO has stopped their service in any country for violating the conditions.
In another letter on Tuesday, the NSO said: "We are making sure that the three names in your search report - Emanuel Macron, King Mohammed VI and Tedros Gabrieusas, head of the World Health Organization - have never been targeted with Pegasus software or that NSO group buyers have targeted "
The NSO, however, did not say anything about the remaining 11 former and current governments and heads of state.
However, arbitrary use of Pegasus has been reported in Mexico. Of the 50,000 phone numbers on the search list, 15,000 are from Mexico. The list also includes the phone number of former Mexican President Felipe Calderon. His number was targeted before the election after his term ended in 2012.
The Spread of Pegasus
The search list includes the phone numbers of 600 government officials and politicians from 34 countries.
Top politicians and leaders have been targeted in 14 countries, including officials from Pegasus: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, China, Congo, Hungary, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mali, Nepal, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Arabia, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States and Britain.
The investigation has found that Pegasus has been inserted in the phones of some leaders more than once. Not only them, but also the phones of their friends, relatives and employees have been hacked or tried.
For example, in the run-up to the 2016 elections in Mexico, the phones of President Andres Manuel Lopez Abrader's wife, children, his driver and even one of his doctors have been targeted for surveillance.
What is India, Morocco saying
The governments of Rwanda, India and Morocco have said in a statement that they have not monitored journalists and politicians on their own or other countries' phones. Rwanda's foreign minister says they do not have the technology at all.
The Moroccan government said in a statement that it was "extremely surprised" by allegations that Morocco had hacked the phones of several national and foreign leaders. "Morocco has the rule of law and the constitution protects the privacy of personal communications," it said.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has said that international organizations that "do not like India's progress" are making these allegations.
Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kazakhstan have been asked to respond to the Pegasus probe, but their governments have said nothing.
The Pegasus software was developed by the Israeli cyber intelligence agency and security agency NSO. This software is now being used in about 50 countries around the world.
A recent Paris-based research report found that at least 50,000 people, including heads of state, important journalists and businessmen from around the world, had their phones intercepted by the spyware.
If the Pegasus software can be inserted into a smartphone, the NSO subscriber will get possession of the entire phone. You can see all the messages, calls, pictures, emails of the owner of the phone, even read the messages of WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal. You can also secretly turn on the camera or microphone. Even if you do not use a smartphone, it continues to receive sound from the surroundings.
NSO customers include governments of various countries: Saudi Arabia, India, UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Mexico, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Togo, Rwanda. There is no guarantee that many countries in the United States, Britain and Europe are not using this technology.
A few days ago, an Al Jazeera report claimed that Bangladesh had bought phone eavesdropping software from Israel. However, the Bangladesh government denied it. But people's minds remain in doubt, is it really being eavesdropped in Bangladesh with this software?
Before the start of the Badal session in Parliament on Monday, national politics was in full swing. It is alleged that the Israeli spyware hacked the phones of more than 40 journalists, industrialists, social workers and judges, ranging from government and opposition leaders to ministers. Opposition groups called for a boycott of the assembly. However, the Narendra Modi government has denied all the allegations.
But how does this Pegasus spyware work? Who is affected? Ordinary people or how safe?
What is Pegasus Spyware?
It is software developed by the Israeli company NSO, which acts as a eavesdropping weapon on mobile phones. Everything is known on the phone, what is being exchanged on WhatsApp. What information, documents, pictures are on the phone can also be seen through it. But the person whose mobile has been hacked, he does not know.
How does this spyware work?
First a link to a website is sent over the phone. Clicking on it, Pegasus is installed on the mobile. Pegasus can also be inserted through voice calls or video calls on WhatsApp.
Who leaked this spyware?
Since 2019, 16 media outlets have conducted an investigation called 'Pegasus Project'. Excerpts from that report surfaced on Sunday.
Who is affected?
Two Union ministers, three opposition leaders, one constitutional official, more than forty journalists, many businessmen and industrialists, current and former heads of security agencies, social workers, bureaucrats and lawyers were among the victims of the spyware.
Government claims:
The Modi government has said that the government is responsible for the fundamental rights of the individual. Allegations of government surveillance against certain individuals are baseless. Surveillance on the phone, WhatsApp messages require government permission to monitor. According to the law, the phone is eavesdropped on.
When did Pegasus first come to the news?
In October 2019, WhatsApp, a company owned by Facebook, reported that about 1,400 mobile phones from four continents had been hacked through Pegasus. Among them were Priyanka Gandhi Bohra of the Congress, Prafulla Patel of the NCP, and several social workers, lawyers and journalists involved in the Bhima Koregaon case.
What was known after the first noise?
In 2019, WhatsApp claimed that in May and September, it had informed the Indian government that more than 20 mobile phones had been hacked in India. In addition, 121 people's mobile phones have been attacked by spyware.
What is the role of Israel in this incident?
The Israeli agency NSO claims that their job is to create security surveillance technology. They have only sold Pegasus spyware to governments, government security agencies and intelligence agencies in different countries.
If so, who is eavesdropping?
This question has not been answered. In the Lok Sabha in 2019, the Home Ministry was asked, is the Modi government using Pegasus? Ravi Shankar Prasad, the then Information Technology Minister, said there were no "illegal instructions" for eavesdropping on the phone. However, the minister said the government is responsible for the privacy and privacy of its citizens. In the interest of security, if government agencies want to intercept someone's phone, they have to get the permission of the top officials in accordance with certain protocols.
What is the rule of eavesdropping on phone in India?
In the interest of security, the Information Technology Act and the Telegraph Act give police, intelligence or investigative agencies the power to eavesdrop on phones and computers. This power is in the hands of 10 organizations of the center. However, in each case, permission has to be sought from the Home Secretary of the Center or the State. In each case, a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary at the Center and the Chief Secretary in the State reviewed the matter. Only then is it allowed to be used.
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