Private Israeli cyber security firm NSO has rubbished reports of espionage. It is accused of spying on thousands of people through Pegasus.
NSO dismisses espionage reports
There has been a ruckus in many countries of the world including India regarding Pegasus, a military-recorded malware of Israel-based NSO Group. NSO is accused of spying on prominent people including journalists, politicians through Pegasus. At the same time, private Israeli cyber security firm NSO has dismissed reports of espionage. It says that such reports are full of misconceptions and unconfirmed theories. NSO has said that the reports of espionage have been published without any facts and they have no relation with reality.
The report of ‘Forbidden Stories’ is replete with misconceptions and unconfirmed theories, which raises serious doubts about the credibility and interests of the sources, NSO said in a statement. It seems that ‘unknown sources’ have given information which has no factual basis and which is far from reality. It said that we refute the false allegations made in his report. His sources have provided him with information that has no factual basis, as evidenced by the lack of supporting documentation for many of his claims. In fact, these allegations are so outrageous that NSO is considering a defamation suit.
Accused of spying on Indian politicians and journalists
An investigation by a consortium of media houses has alleged that 38 Indian journalists were spied on through phone hacking software Pegasus. Apart from this, it was used to target potentially thousands of people across the world including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, political strategist Prashant Kishor and former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa. After this a political dispute started in India. The Congress party started accusing the central government of espionage. However, these allegations were denied by the BJP.
Found list of phone numbers of more than 50 thousand people
A list of more than 50,000 cellphone numbers obtained by journalistic non-profit Paris-based Forbidden Stories and human rights group Amnesty International and shared with 16 news organizations has helped journalists reach more than 1,000 in 50 countries. Identified more individuals who were allegedly selected by NSO customers for potential surveillance. According to The Washington Post, a member of the global media association, those selected for possible surveillance include 189 journalists, more than 600 politicians and government officials, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights activists and several heads of state. .
Also read: Pegasus Spyware: Pakistan’s new secret, India accused of spying on Imran’s phone
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