Pegasos to the interface again!
In a new report revealed by a number of human rights organizations, it was proven that the Bahraini government has been spying on the phones of a number of opposition activists by the Israeli spy company "NSO" through the advanced spy program "Pegasus"?
What is Pegasus?
Pegasus is one of the most important and powerful spyware programs for mobile phones. It was developed by the Israeli company "NSO", which is concerned with electronic warfare technology, and it can almost completely control the victim's device, such as taking photos and videos, listening to what is going on in the vicinity of the phone, copying files and eavesdropping on applications.
How was the hack done?
All hacked devices are iPhones. Some of them contained "Zero Day" vulnerabilities in a number of used applications, most notably the "iMessage" application, which is found by default on all "Apple" devices. This type is considered one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities, because it works silently, and it does not need any reaction from the victim.
As for the rest of the devices, they were hacked through the traditional method of sending a malicious link to the victim, clicking on it directly infects the device. It was remarkable during this process that the program was able to bypass the "BlastDoor" security feature that Apple added to the iOS14 operating systems to avoid this type of breach!
Who are the victims of the new hack?
The hacked phones belong to 9 Bahraini activists, 3 of whom are members of the National Democratic Action Society, 3 also of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and one of the National Accord Society, in addition to to opponents in exile.
How to avoid hacks later?
Avoiding hacks with Pegasus is very complicated, especially with the "Zero Day" vulnerabilities. Here, we review the most important tips that will greatly avoid injury:
1. Continuously update the operating system.
2. Update the applications on the phone.
3. Get rid of all unused apps.
4. Do not interact with any suspicious link or file.
5. Use a virus protection program.
6. Encrypt data on the phone.
7. Do not use applications outside the official stores.
