As reported by a cyberspace patrol, about three dozen cellphones of journalists and crusaders have been hacked in El Salvador. The hacking took place frequently for almost two years, as early as 2020, by an advanced Israeli-based spyware Pegasus.
The investigation was carried out jointly by Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto and Amnesty International. The collected evidence found that the spyware was used to hack recordings, galleries, contact details, and conversations of individual press corps since 2020.
Sources also reported the spyware Pegasus being used by government officials to keep a check on the activities of various criminals, political protestors, and critics.
The case of astonishingly relentless hacking has shaken up the El Salvador government. The mobiles of almost 35 journalists and activists were prime targets of the Malicious Software Pegasus deployed to rob sensitive information. And the astonishing fact is that this act of embezzlement was persistently occurring for two years straight.
The spyware stole the majority of important data from about 22 editors and newsmen of a notable newspaper El Faro located in El Salvador. Some of the mobile phones were also invaded many times by malware, and it has left quite a shocking effect on some journalists and activists.
The editors at several news sites doubt government intervention in the invasive incident. There was a report about the government’s rumored association with some gangsters, but the matter remains still unresolved and unclear.
University Lab Reports
The investigation at Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto found and established that an operator from the Israeli-based Pegasus software was working evidently in El Salvador dated back to early 2020.
A forensic inspection was carried out by the Citizen Lab, which involved examination of 37 smartphone devices, as the owners were suspected to be the aims of the hack. The Amnesty International Security Lab reviewed the investigation conducted with Access Now.
Senior research reporter at Citizen Lab, John Scott-Railton, quoted this incident to be jaw-droppingly aggressive and repetitive hacking. Further, he added that this case was very disturbing as the media of El Salvador was brutally humiliated by the usage of vicious language and warnings for causing physical damage.
Threatening Multiple Attacks
Reports showed evidence of multiple attacks on the same devices by the malware. The news site El Faro was kept under monitoring for about 17 months between June 29, 2020, and November 23, 2021, which showed numerous threatening invasions.
Oscar Martinez’s phone was subjected to hacking and seizure about 42 times, who is the Editor in Chief at El Faro news. According to Citizen Lab sources, a journalist at El Faro news Carlos Martinez’s mobile phone was also invaded about 28 times.
Researchers also found traces of malware in most of the executive personnel of one company at a time, and an enormous amount of confidential information has been stolen. The hacking was profoundly disturbing and serious as much sensitive content related to media was extracted along with violent warnings.
Suspected Government Intervention
Internet sources added that there might be a strong involvement of the El Salvador government under President Nayib Bukele in this affair. A spokeswoman for the President, Sofia Medina, spoke to the Associated Press on this matter.
She curated the news media, saying that the government had no links with the Israeli NSO firm that developed the software Pegasus. Sofia also stated that the government was duly involved in the inspection of hacking, as she, along with two other government officials, had received warning alerts from MNC Apple that they might themselves become targets of Pegasus. The President turned down allegations involving his association with the Pegasus technology.
Connection of NSO Group with Pegasus
The United States Government Authority had blacklisted the NSO Group of Companies in the year 2021. NSO Group is assigned to send spyware only to legally approved government-run intelligence wings, which are scrutinized and controlled by Israel.
Pegasus technology was developed by NSO Group, which is particularly used by government officials for eavesdropping on private affairs of dissidents, critics, etc. As per sources, Pegasus is in use for targeting journalists, politicians, activists, and reformers from all over the world.
However, large tech giants like Apple Inc. and Facebook have prosecuted NSO Group since its malware was trying to corrupt the MNCs’ operating systems and applications.
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