Security News > 2021 > December > Pegasus Spyware Infects U.S. State Department iPhones

An unknown assailant planted NSO Group's Pegasus spyware on the iPhones of at least nine U.S. State Department employees, according to four of Reuters' sources who are familiar with the matter.

Two of Reuters' sources said that the targeted State Department employees were using iPhones registered with foreign telephone numbers, without the U.S. country code.

One such U.S. target is New York Times journalist Ben Hubbard: As cybersecurity watchdog and spyware-scrutinzer Citizen Lab has concluded, Hubbard was "Repeatedly targeted with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware over a three-year period from June 2018 to June 2021," while he was reporting on Saudi Arabia and writing a book about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On Monday, a State Department spokesperson told Threatpost that it's unable to confirm the attack on State Department employees' phones.

On Thursday, NSO Group told Reuters that it hasn't found evidence that its tools were used against State Department employees, but that it's canceled access for its relevant customers.

Organizations should be aware that turning off phones isn't enough to ensure that spyware can't be used to spy on targets, given that spyware can turn phones on.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/pegasus-spyware-state-department-iphones/176779/