The 10 and 11 August 2016, the holder of the Martin Ennals Award for the Defence of Human Rights Ahmed Mansoor receives twice the same text message on his iPhone 6 getting them to click on a link to learn more about exactions of the UAE regime. The internet address him seeming suspicious, Emirati activist sends it to one of his contacts at Citizen Lab, a US computer security research center.
Two weeks later, and with the using the US of the mobile security specialist Lookout, this SMS has discovered the spyware on the most sophisticated iPhone never detected and developed by one of the most mysterious cyber arms dealers in the world: NSO Group . A discovery that has forced Apple, from 25 August to deploy a patch urgently. All users of iPhone are called to do an update to prevent this virus
& gt;. & Gt; Read on Mashable.france24.com: “Apple had to correct in emergency rare security vulnerabilities to infiltrate the iPhone”
devastating effects
Because this little malware, which operated three security vulnerabilities on iPhone unknown until now, can be devastating. Pegasus baptized, it helps to have remote access to all or substantially all of the content and activity of the infected iPhone. The Cyberspies can then retrieve the contacts details and call content, SMS, mails, WhatsApp conversations, Skype and even Telegram (the famous mail supposedly ultra-secure, which is notably used by state group terrorist Islamic). They can also remotely activate the iPhone camera, a microphone and know at all times where the user is located.
Pegasus has already been used against a Mexican journalist, according to Citizen Lab specialists, and appears to be in circulation for several years. “It’s a cyber-weapon that was developed specifically to spy iPhone users without their realizing it,” said Gert-Jan Schenk, Director Europe, Middle East and Africa Lookout, contacted by France 24.
This is especially the first time that researchers get their hands on the flagship software of Israeli society NSO, one of the most intriguing players in the field of cyber espionage. “We knew they were selling Pegasus for at least three years, but we did not know how this spyware was perfected,” admits Gert-Jan Schenk.
“Father, husband “and” ghost “
NSO plays the card of secrecy. Israeli society, founded in 2009, has no website, is not present on social networks, its leaders hardly give interviews and information about NSO is at best patchy.
on the site About.me Omri Lavie, one of the founders of this structure, describes himself as “Father, husband, entrepreneur, lover of tech and lover of good food.” Difficult to infer that he helped to create a society in which the tools may be used by repressive regimes. And that the same company plays in the same league as Hacker Team and Gamma Group, two groups of qualified Internet enemies by NGOs defending journalists, RSF. “We sell our solutions to authorized government agencies to fight crime and terror,” said a spokesman NSO in Forbes magazine on Friday 26 August.
The only trace of a contract between NSO and state dates back to 2015, when the daily Panamanian La Prensa discovered that the Panamanian government had spent $ 8 million to wiretap 300 smartphones – 150 Android and 150 BlackBerry -. through Pegasus
This cult of confidentiality, Omri Lavi boasted in one of his very rare interviews given to US magazine Defense News. “We are ghosts and do not leave traces,” he assured. It is even difficult to know who NSO currently belongs. In 2014, the Wall Street Journal and the Israeli daily Haaretz claimed that the US investment fund Francisco Partners was the new owner. A year later, Reuters said that NSO was on sale again …
One thing is certain: Omri Lavi not only maintains secrecy, it also has the business acumen and irony . After creating NSO, he also helped found Kaymera, an Israeli start-up that sells, full circle, solutions to protect smartphones … against spyware.
First published: 08/26/2016
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