They reveal that the iPhone of several employees of the US State Department would have been hacked with the spyware of NSO Group

Posted: Dec 4, 2021 10:23 GMT

The Pegasus surveillance system allows you to make sound and video recordings, extract encrypted communications, photos, contacts, location data, text messages, as well as other confidential information.

The iPhone of at least 9 employees of the US Embassy in Uganda would have been hacked with spyware developed by the Israeli technology company NSO Group, sources familiar with the matter reported on Friday, cited by .. According to the agency, it was the attacks “broader known“Using NSO technology.

Meanwhile, sources from The New York Times claimed that 11 people were affected, being the first known ‘hack’ carried out by the Pegasus spyware ‘software’ directed against US officials. Its surveillance system allows you to make sound and video recordings, extract encrypted communications, photos, contacts, location data, text messages, as well as other confidential information.

The victims were notified by Apple, and were reportedly easily identifiable as US government employees. Likewise, the accusations do not point to the fact that the company itself carried out the espionage, but rather one of its clients, who are mostly foreign governments. However, it was not clear who the author was.

NSO’s response

Meanwhile, NSO said in a statement that it will carry out an independent investigation and will cooperate with the one carried out by the government. “We have decided to immediately terminate relevant clients’ access to the system, due to the seriousness of the allegations,” the company said. “So far, we have not received any information or phone numbers or any indication that the NSO tools were used in this case.”

“If our investigation shows that these actions actually happened with the NSO tools, that customer will be permanently canceled and will be carried out legal actions“said an NSO spokesperson, adding that the firm will cooperate” with any relevant government authority and we will present the information we have. “

The position of the state

However, the State Department itself avoided confirming that its employees’ phones had been hacked. “Yes OK we can’t confirm itGenerally speaking, the Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard your information and continually takes steps to ensure that the information is protected, “a spokesperson was quoted as saying by CNN.

“Like all large organizations with a global presence, we closely monitor cybersecurity conditions and continually update our security posture to adapt to the changing tactics of adversaries,” he added.