Security News > 2021 > August > Pegasus iPhone hacks used as lure in extortion scheme
A new extortion scam is underway that attempts to capitalize on the recent Pegasus iOS spyware attacks to scare people into paying a blackmail demand.
Last month, Amnesty International and non-profit project Forbidden Stories revealed that the Pegasus spyware was installed on fully updated iPhones through a zero-day zero-click iMessage vulnerability.
This week, a threat actor began emailing recipients, telling them that their iPhone device was hacked with a 'zero-click' vulnerability to install the Pegasus spyware software.
The scammer says that they have been using Pegasus to monitor the recipient's activities and have created videos of them during "The most private moments" of their lives.
Pegasus is a malware that infects iPhones and Android devices and enables operators of the tool to extract messages, photos and emails,record calls and secretly activate cameras or microphones, and read the contents of encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and Signal.
While receiving these types of emails can be anxiety-provoking, always remember that they are scams, and you should just mark them as spam and delete the email.