Nine Bahrain activists hacked with Pegasus spyware – Computer – News

Nine Bahrain activists were the target of a hack with NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus spyware. The hack exploited a vulnerability in iMessage, which allowed malware to be installed on iPhones without user interaction.

from research The University of Toronto’s Citizens Lab reveals that Israeli NSO Group malware has been installed on iPhones belonging to nine Bahrain activists. Two of the activists are political dissidents who have been banned from the country. The Bahrain government is suspected to be behind the hacks.

One of the activists was even allegedly hacked several times in a period of a few months last year. The first hacks are believed to have taken place in September 2019. The hacks used the 2020 KISMET vulnerability and a new vulnerability called FORCEDENTRY.

This is not the first time that Pegasus software has been used to spy on journalists, activists and politicians. Just last month, the phone number of de Franse president Macron discovered on a list of phone numbers that were targets of surveillance with the software.

The NSO Group so far denies that the company’s software is being used to spy on journalists, activists or other public figures. According to the maker, Pegasus software is only used to track down criminals and terrorists.

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