Pegasus Spyware - How It Functions

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The company who made this package was founded in 2010 by Niv Carmi, Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie -their first alphabet used to make NSO - a subsidiary of Q Cyber Technologies. This is the name, NSO group uses in Israel. This group licences its products only to Government intelligence and law enforcement agencies for the sole purpose of preventing and investigating terror and serious crime. 

Their vetting process goes beyond legal and regulatory requirements to ensure the lawful use of technology as designed.Their Governance, Risk and compliance committee reviews potential sales of NSO products. The committee is empowered to reject sales or request investigations into potential misuse

Pegasus can snoop Whats App, Skype, Viber, and Black Berry messenger. It can secretly click photos, record calls, record surrounding audio, and take screenshots without alerting the user. Once the mission is over, the Operator can hit the kill switch remotely to self-delete the Pegasus agent on the victim's phone. It works on devices running Android, iOS, Windows phone, Blackberry, Symbian and even Tizen.

The challenge for those using this tool to spy on a victim is to remotely and secretly install the tool on their phones. Phishing messages is the popular way to install Pegasus on a victim's phone for spying. It can be installed even if the victim's phone number is not known. In such case, the Pegasus agent can be silently injected once the number is acquired using a tactical network element such as Base Transceiver station.

The entire setup requires Web Servers, Communications Module, Permission Module, Data Storage, Servers security, Systems Hardware installation, Operator consoles and finally the Pegasus App. The minimum system hardware and specifications required for Pegasus to function: Operator terminals or Standard Desktop PCs with - Processor- Core i5, Memory - 3GB RAM, Hard Drive - 320 GB, and Operating system Windows 7.           

There is nothing particularly complicated about how the Pegasus software infects the phones of victims. The initial hack involves a crafted SMS or iMessage that provides a link to a website. If clicked, this link delivers malicious software that compromises the device. The aim is to seize full control of mobile device's operating system, either by rooting (on Android devices) or jailbreaking (on Apple iOS devices). Usually, rooting on an Android device is done by the user to install applications and games from non-supported app stores, or re-enable a functionality that was disabled by the manufacturer. 

A Jailbreak can be deployed on Apple devices to allow the installation of apps not available on Apple app store, or to unlock the phone for use on alternative cellular networks. Many Jailbreak approaches require the phone to be connected to a computer each time it is turned on. 

Rooting and Jailbreaking both remove the security controls embedded in Android or iOS operating systems. They are typically a combination of configuration changes and a "hack" of core elements of the operating system to run modified code. In case of spyware, once a device is unlocked, the perpetrator can deploy further software to secure remote access to the device's data and functions. This user is likely to remain completely unaware. When initial infection attempt fails, the spyware prompts the user to grant relevant permissions so it can be deployed effectively. 

How to stay protected 

Following are the five simple steps, one can take to minimize potential exposure - not only to Pegasus but to other malicious attacks too:

1. Only open links from known and trusted contacts and sources when using your device. Pegasus is deployed to Apple devices through an iMessage link. This is the same technique used by many cyber criminals for both malware distribution and less technical scams. This advice also applies to links sent via Emails and oher messaging applications. 

2.Make sure that your device is updated with any relevant patches and upgrades. Check the latest version yourself, as device manufacturer may not be providing updates.  

3. Obviously, you should limit physical access to your phone. Do this by enabling pin, finger or face - locking on the device. The eSafety Commissioner's website has a range of  videos explaining how to configure the device securely.

4. Avoid Public and Free Wi-Fi services when accessing sensitive information. Use of VPN is a good solution when need to use  such networks. 

5. Encrypt Device data and enable remote-wipe features where available. If device is lost or stolen, some reassurance exists that data can remain safe. 

The Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) developed by Researchers at Amnesty International can be used to detect if Pegasus spyware has targeted the phone.            

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