Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Six Palestinian Activists and Researchers Hacked by NSO Spyware: Pegasus

  • By Al Mayadeen net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 8 Nov 2021 14:42
4 Min Read

NSO's Pegasus spyware snowball continues to roll, revealing worrying data about the magnitude of hacks made using this malware, 6 Palestinian activists were among its latest victims.

  • x
  • Pegasus is military-grade spyware developed by the Israeli Firm NSO Group
    Pegasus is military-grade spyware developed by the Israeli Firm NSO Group

According to security researchers, six Palestinian human rights activists' cellphones were found to have malware from the renowned Israeli hacker-for-hire organization NSO Group.
 
Half of the researchers are linked to organizations that "Israel's" security minister controversially alleged were involved in what he called terrorism last month, according to a report by AP.

The first documented incident of Palestinian activists being targeted by the military-grade Pegasus malware was revealed on Monday. Since 2015, it has been used against journalists, human rights activists, and political dissidents from Mexico to Saudi Arabia.

Intruders gain access to everything a person keeps and does on their phone, including real-time communications, monitoring the victim through his or her microphone or camera if a Pegasus infection is effective.

According to Mohammed al-Maskati of the NGO Frontline Defenders, the researcher who initially discovered the NSO malware on the activists' phones, it is unclear who installed it.

"Israel" has given little public evidence to substantiate Its claims

Israeli security Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian civil society organizations terrorist organizations shortly after the first two incursions were discovered in mid-October. Frontline Defenders, located in Ireland, and at least two of the victims believe "Israel" is the major suspect, and that the designation was made to obscure the hacks' detection.

"Israel" has given little public evidence to substantiate what the occupation described as terrorism designation, which Palestinian groups say is intended to deprive them of funds and silence their opposition to Israeli military authority.

Related News

Francesca Albanese, FPA slam 'Israel's' targeting of Gaza reporters

IOF storm Syria's Beit Jann after occupying Tel Bat al-Warda

NEW - FLD Investigation finds Pegasus spyware on 6 Palestinian HRD phones - including HRDs from 3 of the #StandWithThe6 organizations targeted by Israel - read the report to understand the timing and the questions this raises for #Israel & #NSOGrouphttps://t.co/HjdstqgTm1 pic.twitter.com/NDV79ZBKTN

— Front Line Defenders (@FrontLineHRD) November 8, 2021

Three of the Palestinians who were hacked work for civil society organizations. Frontline Defenders claim that the others do not and desire to remain nameless.

The forensic findings, which were independently confirmed by security researchers from Amnesty International and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab in a joint technical report, come as NSO Group faces mounting criticism for the misuse of its spyware and "Israel" faces criticism for lax oversight of its digital surveillance industry.

The NSO Group and a lesser-known Israeli competitor, Candiru, were blacklisted by the Biden administration last week, preventing them from accessing US technology.

What is Pegasus?

  • Pegasus
    Pegasus

According to an investigation led by The Washington Post and 16 media partners that were published on July 18, Pegasus is military-grade spyware leased by NSO to governments who used it in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and business executives.

Smartphones infected with Israeli spyware would become pocket-spying devices, allowing the user to read the target's messages, look through their photos, track their location, and even turn on their camera without their knowledge.

The investigation discovered that 37 targeted smartphones were found on a list of more than 50,000 numbers concentrated in countries known to engage in citizen surveillance and also known to have been clients of NSO Group.

The numbers on the list are unattributed, but via research and interviews on four continents, reporters were able to identify more than 1,000 people from more than 50 countries. Several members of the Gulf royal families, at least 65 corporate leaders, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists, and over 600 politicians and government officials, including cabinet ministers, ambassadors, and military officers, have all been targeted.

  • Pegasus
    Pegasus

More than 15,000 phone numbers on the list were in Mexico, including those belonging to lawmakers, union members, journalists, and other government adversaries.

A substantial number of people were found in West Asia, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Yemen, knowing that NSO clientele is said to include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Other countries were also involved, according to the same report.

  • Israeli occupation
  • spyware
  • NSO Group
  • Benny Gantz
  • Pegasus

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS