According to Access Now, the digital rights organization, the Pegasus spyware, created in Israel, was employed in Jordan to breach the mobile devices of over 30 individuals, including reporters, attorneys, and advocates for human rights and political causes.

According to a report by Access Now, the infiltration using spyware created by Israel’s NSO Group took place between early 2020 and November of last year. The organization did not directly accuse the government of Jordan of participating in the hacking.

During an interview, Adam Coogle, the deputy director for the region at Human Rights Watch, stated that it was challenging to determine who, other than the government of Jordan, would have a motive to hack the individuals targeted, including himself.

The report released on Thursday did not elicit an immediate response from the Jordanian government.

The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab revealed in a 2022 report that there were fewer individuals targeted by Pegasus in Jordan. They were able to identify two operators of the spyware who may have been working for the Jordanian government. Axios had previously reported on talks between Jordan’s government and NSO Group in 2021.

Access Now stated that the use of Pegasus spyware in Jordan is likely more widespread than currently known, with a potential for many more victims. According to Marwa Fatafta, the Middle East and North Africa director, out of 35 known targeted individuals, at least 30 were successfully hacked.

Out of the total infections, Citizen Lab verified all except for five. 21 individuals who were affected preferred to stay unidentified due to concerns of retaliation. The remaining cases were uncovered by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International’s Security Lab, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

NSO Group claims they only provide their products to approved agencies in the intelligence and law enforcement fields, and solely for the purpose of combating terrorism and major criminal activities. However, experts in cybersecurity who have monitored the usage of this spyware in 45 different countries have recorded multiple instances of its misuse for political reasons, ranging from Mexico and Thailand to Poland and Saudi Arabia.

The spokesperson for NSO Group stated that the company will neither confirm nor deny the identities of its clients. NSO Group claims to thoroughly screen customers and investigate any reports of misuse of its spyware.

In November 2021, the U.S. government blacklisted the NSO Group after Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing its employees of being “amoral mercenaries” who have developed advanced cyber surveillance technology that is prone to frequent and blatant misuse.

Jordan has targeted individuals such as Hiba Zayadin, Human Rights Watch’s senior researcher for Jordan and Syria. On August 29, Zayadin and Coogle were notified by Apple that their iPhones had been targeted by state-sponsored attackers.

In October of 2022, Coogle’s personal iPhone was hacked with success. This occurred just two weeks after a human rights organization released a report highlighting the mistreatment and intimidation of individuals involved in nonviolent political opposition.

Following this, Coogle enabled “Lockdown Mode” on the iPhone, a feature recommended by Apple for users who are at high risk.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch released a statement saying they reached out to NSO Group regarding the attacks. They specifically requested an investigation into the hacking of Coogle’s device, but have not received a meaningful response to their inquiries.

According to Access Now, Hala Ahed, a human rights lawyer from Jordan, has been the victim of Pegasus surveillance at least twice. She is known for her advocacy work for women’s and workers’ rights, as well as for prisoners of conscience. The first attempt was successful in March 2021, but the second attempt in February 2023 was unsuccessful.

The report stated that out of the 16 individuals targeted by Pegasus in Jordan, approximately half were journalists or media employees.

A Palestinian-American journalist and columnist, Dauod Kuttab, who has extensive experience, was targeted by Pegasus on three separate occasions from February 2022 to September 2023.

Throughout his experiences, he has gained valuable insights on avoiding clicking on links in messages that claim to be from trusted contacts. This is how he fell victim to one of the Pegasus hacks.

Kuttab declined to make assumptions about the identity of his potential attacker.

He expressed that he constantly assumes that his conversations are being monitored, as it is a common occurrence for journalists in the Middle East. However, Kuttab is concerned about the potential compromise of his sources and the violation of his personal privacy through hacking.

It is unacceptable for anyone to intrude on my personal, family, and professional privacy, regardless of who may have done it.

Source: wral.com