Since the 70’s, Israel It has gained the reputation of being a country. spies. Now the Hebrew State is applying pegasusyour program surveillance The most famous of these was trying to locate and release 239 kidnapped citizens. Hamas.
On October 7, the paramilitary arm of the Palestinian Islamic group carried out its deadliest attack against its great enemy, Israel, killing almost a thousand civilians in a matter of hours. Since then, Israeli security forces have turned to the country’s powerful technology industry to use intelligence tools. espionage and so you will find the hostages, as industry insiders and ‘Bloomberg’ management confirm.
Pegasus is a computer program that can infect and sneak into any electronic device without the knowledge of its victims. Once inside you can access all communications, make copies, activate your microphone or use your camera.
This ‘malware’ is the Israeli company’s flagship product NSO GroupIt will collaborate with various organizations in Israel and offer its services for free. He even created a “room”. war“where are the mobile phones of murdered or missing persons and suspected persons terrorists. Like other Israeli cyber defense companies Candiru.
Controversial espionage
Pegasus’ powerful abilities have made it a controversial yet desirable vehicle. Countries like Bahrain, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, and India have hired these services to monitor and suppress political dissidents, critical journalists, and rights activists, according to several studies by Citizen Lab. people. In some cases, such as the reporter’s situation Jamal Khashoggithe victims were killed.
Inside SpainPegasus became known after an investigation in 2020 revealed that Pegasus was used against the then president of the Catalan Parliament. roger torrent. It was later discovered that this device was used to spy on 63 people. independence Catalan. HE CNI They had access to spyware. But it was also used against the Head of Government. Pedro SánchezPossibly by Moroccan intelligence services.
Israel’s use of Pegasus raises question marks. According to research by Citizen Lab and Amnesty International, the spying program has been used against Palestinian activists and even journalists of the Al Jazeera network in Qatar.
Pressure on the USA
Last month, NSO Group launched an active lobbying campaign. United States of America to remove yours technology from their blacklists. Management in 2021 Biden Considered a threat to national security, American companies were banned from doing business with the manufacturer of Pegasus. Last March, government institutions were also banned from accessing this tool.
These restrictions posed an existential risk to the company. It has had to change management, reduce its workforce and raise prices to calm investors over the past two years. Its debt is approximately 400 million dollars. For this reason, the NSO Group is trying to persuade Hamas by citing the “global struggle” against Hamas. White HouseAs ‘The Intercept’ revealed. An internal source told Axios that “some European governments” will also apply pressure. washington reviewing sanctions.