Security News > 2021 > July > Israeli authorities investigate NSO Group over Pegasus spyware abuse claims

Israel's Ministry of Defense says the nation's government has visited spyware-for-governments developer NSO Group to investigate allegations its wares have been widely - and perhaps willingly - misused.

The allegations were raised by Amnesty International and a consortium of newspapers that gained access to a 50,000-entry list of mobile phone numbers claimed to have been touched by NSO's Pegasus product - spyware that makes a smartphone an open book.

NSO Group said the document was not a list of Pegasus targets, and that it does not authorise use of the software other than for matters of national security.

Amnesty stood by its analysis that the list is genuine, and demonstrates that Pegasus is far more widely used than NSO Group states.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense hasn't said why it decided to investigate NSO group, which bodies visited the company, or what exactly it was looking for.

NSO Group CEO Shalev Hulio has reportedly welcomed the Ministry visit because he believes it will vindicate his stance that the company has done nothing wrong, and the claims made against it will not withstand scrutiny.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/07/29/israel_probes_nso_group/