Security News > 2021 > July > 50,000 Phone Numbers Worldwide on List Linked to Israeli Spyware: Reports
An Israeli firm accused of supplying spyware to governments has been linked to a list of 50,000 smartphone numbers, including those of activists, journalists, business executives and politicians around the world, according to reports Sunday.
The Post said 15,000 of the numbers on the list were in Mexico and included those of politicians, union representatives, journalists and government critics.
Indian investigative news website The Wire reported that 300 mobile phone numbers used in India - including those of government ministers, opposition politicians, journalists, scientists and rights activists - were on the list.
The Post said a forensic analysis of 37 of the smartphones on the list showed there had been "Attempted and successful" hacks of the devices, including those of two women close to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018 by a Saudi hit squad. Among the numbers on the list are those of journalists for Agence France-Presse, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, France 24, Radio Free Europe, Mediapart, El Pais, the Associated Press, Le Monde, Bloomberg, the Economist, Reuters and Voice of America, the Guardian said.
The Post said the numbers on the list are unattributed but the media outlets participating in the project were able to identify more than 1,000 people in more than 50 countries.
The reports said many numbers on the list were clustered in 10 countries - Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.