Security News > 2021 > December > Pegasus Spyware Reportedly Hacked iPhones of U.S. State Department and Diplomats

Apple reportedly notified several U.S. Embassy and State Department employees that their iPhones may have been targeted by an unknown assailant using state-sponsored spyware created by the controversial Israeli company NSO Group, according to multiple reports from Reuters and The Washington Post.

At least 11 U.S. Embassy officials stationed in Uganda or focusing on issues pertaining to the country are said to have singled out using iPhones registered to their overseas phone numbers, although the identity of the threat actors behind the intrusions, or the nature of the information sought, remains unknown as yet.

The attacks, which were carried out in the last several months, mark the first known time the sophisticated surveillance software has been put to use against U.S. government employees.

NSO Group is the maker of Pegasus, military-grade spyware that allows its government clients to stealthily plunder files and photos, eavesdrop on conversations, and track the whereabouts of their victims.

Pegasus uses zero-click exploits sent through messaging apps to infect iPhones and Android devices without requiring targets to click links or take any other action, but are by default blocked from working on U.S. phone numbers.

NSO Group's actions have cost it dear, landing it in the crosshairs of the U.S. Commerce Department, which placed the company in an economic blocklist last month, a decision that may have been motivated by the aforementioned targeting of U.S. foreign diplomats.

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https://thehackernews.com/2021/12/pegasus-spyware-reportedly-hacked.html