Pegasus spyware used to target journalists, civil society

By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah 

A recent report published by Citizen Lab has revealed that Pegasus, a spyware created for mobile devices, may have been deployed against a range of journalists and civil society actors in over 45 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Morocco, Togo, Israel, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

The report states that Pegasus, which transforms a cellphone into a mobile surveillance station, was identified in a number of major surveillance campaigns, including one against investigative journalists in Mexico, and another against human rights workers in Saudi Arabia

Global map of suspected NSO Pegasus infections. Source: Citizen Lab

The spyware’s presence in 45 countries has raised significant implications for journalists, both in terms of their own security as well as the safety of their sources, the report stated. Pegasus gives an attacker the ability to monitor, record, and collect existing and future data from a user’s telephone. This includes calls and information from messaging applications and real-time location data. The spyware also has the capacity to remotely activate the camera and microphone to monitor a target and their surroundings.

Pegasus, designed to be installed on phones running Android, BlackBerry OS, and iOS, can be installed in a number of ways without alerting the target to its presence. A research by Citizen Lab and Amnesty International found that attackers tend to use tailor-made messages that are sent to a specific journalist. These messages convey a sense of urgency and contain a link or a document which the journalist is encouraged to click on. The messages come in a variety of forms, including SMS, email, and through message apps such as WhatsApp or on social media platforms. Once the journalist has clicked on the link, the spyware automatically installs itself on their phone. Victims are only likely to know if their phone has been infected if the device is inspected by a tech expert.

Diagram from purported NSO Group Pegasus documentation showing the range of information gathered from a device infected with Pegasus. Source: Hacking Team Emails.

“Journalists and human rights campaigners should be aware of these methods and take appropriate steps to protect them and their sources,” the Citizen Lab report warned.

The threats to press freedom have increased in recent years. A CPJ report recently confirms that 43 journalists have so far been killed in 2018 alone, while 262 others have been in prison since 2017.  In a recent United Nations Panel discussion on “Press Behind Bars”, CPJ’s Executive Director Joel Simon told a gathering at the  73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that press freedom violations and the imprisonment of journalists around the world, especially in Bangladesh, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar, have heightened. A special CPJ report published in early September notes that while journalist murders appear to have decreased, in Pakistan, the media is under pressure as the country’s powerful military quietly but effectively encourages self-censorship.

The report, based on interviews with journalists during CPJ’s mission to Pakistan earlier this year, found that measures to stomp out terrorism in the country have gone hand-in-hand with increased pressure on the media. The military restricts reporting by barring access, encourages self-censorship through direct and indirect acts of intimidation, and even allegedly instigates violence against reporters. Journalists who push back or are overly critical of authorities are attacked, threatened, or arrested.

Following the report, CPJ released a Safety Kit for journalists as part of its Emergencies Response Team‘s work to help improve awareness of journalist safety and journalists’ preparedness for assignments.

Members of the Journalists in Distress (JID) Network, a group of 18 international organizations that provide direct assistance to journalists and media workers whose lives or careers are threatened because of their work.

The Safety Kit features accessible and easy-to-share Safety Notes, including on how to prepare risk assessments and how to cover dangerous assignments, as well as information and tools on digital and psychological safety. The kit also includes a Resource Center, which helps journalists prepare for or confront emergency situations and provides information on buying insurance or renting personal protective equipment.

In response to the Pegasus findings, CPJ launched a new program alongside other partners to understand the “full scope of the threat Pegasus poses to journalists.” An Access Now Helpline  has been established to help journalists and human rights campaigners access tech support to protect them from spyware attacks.

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