Pegasus spyware once captured global attention, particularly in India, where it was reportedly used to infiltrate the mobile phones of various individuals to extract their data. However, during the recent Israel-Palestine conflict, Pegasus failed to gather information ahead of the Hamas attack.
Pegasus is a covert spyware developed by the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group, with the capability for remote installation on mobile devices operating on iOS and Android platforms.
Earlier, in January 2022, alarming reports surfaced about the unlawful deployment of Pegasus by the Israeli Police. This spyware was employed to surveil both citizens and foreign nationals, whether intentionally or inadvertently infected by the software. Notably, this surveillance was ordered by high-ranking police officials, conducted without legal warrants, or judicial oversight. The legal basis for such invasive surveillance of citizens remained a subject of dispute.
In several instances, the police allegedly targeted individuals who were not suspected of any criminal activities. This included organizers of anti-government protests, mayors, activists advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, employees of government-owned enterprises, associates of senior politicians, and former government personnel. There were claims that the police had even used the spyware to gather information on individuals’ personal lives.
More questions amid Pegasus Spyware controversy:
In September 2023, Apple issued an emergency software patch. This response came after warnings surfaced that Israel’s NSO Group had clandestinely injected the Pegasus spyware into iPhones and iPads. This move highlighted the far-reaching capabilities of Pegasus and the urgent need to protect device users from such surreptitious breaches.
Israel’s surveillance of Palestinian society had gained a reputation for being exceptionally advanced and intrusive despite these controversial incidents. Additionally, it had also gained a similar reputation for monitoring Hamas militants. Therefore, it’s surprising that Pegasus was unable to detect and preempt the preparations and planning of an attack as significant as the one initiated by Hamas on October 7th.
The recent events starkly remind us of the complexities and challenges that encompass surveillance technologies and their limitations. These challenges persist even when advanced capabilities are at play.