Pegasus Spyware: Supreme Court Hearing and Basics
Why in the news
On April 30, 2025 the Supreme Court asked if using Pegasus against anti-national elements, for security reasons, can be called illegal.
About Pegasus
- Spyware from Israel’s NSO Group that covertly infects iOS and Android phones.
- Can read messages, monitor calls, reach microphone and camera, track GPS and extract app data.
- Sold against crime and terror, yet reportedly used to watch journalists, lawyers, dissidents and rights defenders.
- March 2023: zero-click attacks on iPhones up to iOS 16.0.3; older versions used malicious links and zero-day flaws.
Discovery
- August 2016: UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor forwarded a suspicious link to Citizen Lab, which worked with Lookout Security.
- Three unknown flaws were exploited, dating back to iOS 7 (2013).
Exam angle
- Developer: NSO Group (Israel).
- Terms: zero-click, zero-day.