Amnesty International sued Israeli Defence Ministry over Pegasus. Watch video to know more.

Amnesty International sued Israeli Defence Ministry over Pegasus

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nso-snoop-row-how-pegasus-broke-into-whatsapp-260055">Spyware Pegasus and Israeli firm NSO</a> are making headlines. Facebook has taken NSO to court for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whatsapp-sues-israels-nso-for-alleged-cyber-espionage-targeting-civil-society-worldwide-258713">hacking into the phones of thousands</a> of people across the globe through WhatsApp. As the row continues to simmer, WION gets the exclusive details.

WION's West Asia bureau chief Daniele Pagani tracked down the NSO headquarters which had moved out of its original building to an undisclosed building complex.

As part of our investigation, WION has also accessed the full 140-page report filed by WhatsApp in the US court. The report gives details about NSO's dealings with governments across the world. What kind of services does NSO offer? What can its super-weapon "the Pegasus" really do?

WION also has access to the agreement that the NSO had signed with a company in Ghana. It has a list of all that these hackers can do. The contract was to monitor 25 phones.

And this isn't just about hacking WhatsApp. The NSO contract says it can monitor virtually any popular smartphone app. &nbsp;

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Exposed!

In today's world, our lives revolve around our smartphones. It has all our details - from our pictures to access to our bank account. Israel's NSO group has built the most powerful spying tool of this century called Pegasus.

For the first time, WhatsApp's lawsuit has revealed the extent to which Pegasus can spy a person.

As part of WhatsApp's court filings, a secret agreement between the NSO and a company in Ghana is now public. The agreement was signed in the year 2015 between the NSO group and Infraloks development limited.

Reports claim Infraloks was a front for the government of Ghana. The deal was worth $8 million and required the monitoring of 25 phones.

NSO's spying tools

The NSO group had offered an entire suite of services. Its tools can hack all major smartphone softwares from iOS, Android or Blackberry. It can read and record virtually anything on a smartphone. It can even extract contact details, messages, emails and the entire call log along with communication done over WhatsApp, Skype or on any of the instant messaging applications.

Tools from the NSO can even record calls and use the phone's camera to capture you. The software even knows how to switch off the phone's flash.

What comes as a shock is that the NSO built exclusion clauses for the citizens of America and Israel.

The NSO group has its headquarters in Israel. It used an American company called Westbridge Technologies Inc. to drum up business in the United States.

And this was just one business. Citizen Lab - part of the University of Toronto in Canada - says there are 36 likely operators of Pegasus across at least 45 countries.

The NSO has refused to reveal the full list of governments it deals with and maintains that it only sells its software to governments. There exists no regulation or legal oversight over this new age surveillance.

The Amnesty International has filed a lawsuit to get the NSO's licence revoked. WION had spoken to Gil Naveh, communications unit head at the Amnesty International who had talked about the specifics of the case and the foundation of the lawsuit.

Spyware Pegasus and Israeli firm NSO are making headlines. Facebook has taken NSO to court for hacking into the phones of thousands of people across the globe through WhatsApp.

Spyware Pegasus and Israeli firm NSO are making headlines. Facebook has taken NSO to court for hacking into the phones of thousands of people across the globe through WhatsApp. As the row continues to simmer, WION gets the exclusive details. WION's West Asia bureau chief Daniele Pagani tracked down the NSO headquarters which had moved out of its original building to an undisclosed building complex. As part of our investigation, WION has also accessed the full 140-page report filed by WhatsApp in the US court. The report gives details about NSO's dealings with governments across the world. What kind of services does NSO offer? What can its super-weapon "the Pegasus" really do? WION also has access to the agreement that the NSO had signed with a company in Ghana. It has a list of all that these hackers can do. The contract was to monitor 25 phones. And this isn't just about hacking WhatsApp. The NSO contract says it can monitor virtually any popular smartphone app. × Exposed! In today's world, our lives revolve around our smartphones. It has all our details - from our pictures to access to our bank account. Israel's NSO group has built the most powerful spying tool of this century called Pegasus. For the first time, WhatsApp's lawsuit has revealed the extent to which Pegasus can spy a person. As part of WhatsApp's court filings, a secret agreement between the NSO and a company in Ghana is now public. The agreement was signed in the year 2015 between the NSO group and Infraloks development limited. Reports claim Infraloks was a front for the government of Ghana. The deal was worth $8 million and required the monitoring of 25 phones. NSO's spying tools The NSO group had offered an entire suite of services. Its tools can hack all major smartphone softwares from iOS, Android or Blackberry. It can read and record virtually anything on a smartphone. It can even extract contact details, messages, emails and the entire call log along with communication done over WhatsApp, Skype or on any of the instant messaging applications. Tools from the NSO can even record calls and use the phone's camera to capture you. The software even knows how to switch off the phone's flash. What comes as a shock is that the NSO built exclusion clauses for the citizens of America and Israel. The NSO group has its headquarters in Israel. It used an American company called Westbridge Technologies Inc. to drum up business in the United States. And this was just one business. Citizen Lab - part of the University of Toronto in Canada - says there are 36 likely operators of Pegasus across at least 45 countries. The NSO has refused to reveal the full list of governments it deals with and maintains that it only sells its software to governments. There exists no regulation or legal oversight over this new age surveillance. The Amnesty International has filed a lawsuit to get the NSO's licence revoked. WION had spoken to Gil Naveh, communications unit head at the Amnesty International who had talked about the specifics of the case and the foundation of the lawsuit.

WION investigates: Unearthing the NSO controversy

Satirist Saudi govt for surveillance using NSO's Pegasus spyware. Watch video to know more.

Satirist Saudi govt for surveillance using NSO's Pegasus spyware

The recent WhatsApp hacking spree was carried out using a very powerful software called Pegasus, a product of the Israeli-based NSO group. Many journalists, activists and diplomats were caught off guard by the Spygate scandal.

All about NSO'S super weapon: Pegasus

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - November 5th, 2019

WION investigates NSO Group, which owns 'Pegasus' spyware that hacked WhatsApp. Watch video to know more.

WION investigates NSO Group, which owns 'Pegasus' spyware that hacked WhatsApp

The recent <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/exiled-satirist-sues-saudi-arabia-govt-for-surveillance-using-nsos-pegasus-spyware-259971">WhatsApp hacking spree</a> was carried out using a very powerful software called Pegasus, a product of the Israeli-based NSO group. Many journalists, activists and diplomats were caught off guard by the Spygate scandal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The software labelled as a weapon can access anyone's mobile phone. As per the company, the software was created to tackle terrorist organisations and organised crime.

WION's West Asia chief, Daniele Pagani decodes the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/name-board-of-whatsapp-snoopgate-firm-nso-goes-missing-office-shifted-to-undisclosed-location-259800">Pegasus software </a>which can virtually access anything on your smartphone.

Page-16 of the user manual of Pegasus which was leaked recently on the internet describes what kind of data Pegasus can access; the answer is "anything" be it your photos, browser history, calendar records, social media, even phone calls.

<a href="http://cms.wionews.com/photos/a-look-at-israels-thriving-hacking-industry-260021">In pics: A brief look at Israel's thriving hacking industry</a>

If this isn't scary enough, the Pegasus can monitor your location as well and record you via the phone's microphone.

It can also access snapshots from the phone's camera and even capture the screen.

Page-nine of the document lists out the benefits of Pegasus.

Watch: WION breaks down how Pegasus broke into WhatsApp

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Hackers can get unlimited access to a target's mobile devices.

They can intercept calls and data while tracking specific applications like Skype, Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook and even the Blackberry messenger.

Pegasus is the ultimate cyber-surveillance tool as it can extract data and information without the victims even realising that they have been hacked.

The Pegasus user manual proudly proclaims on page-10 that the spyware doesn't leave a trace on a device as it can self destruct to escape detection.

Here is how it looks on the other side.

If you are using Pegasus to spy on someone these are the tools that are available to you.

All stolen data is organised neatly into a calendar styled preview.

The hackers can create alerts to track certain activity and can also even choose to view any specific activities, like messages, location information or emails.

There is a call log too. Once a victim is hacked, their phone calls can be monitored. There is an option to playback specific conversations.

There is a dashboard to track location activity as well.

A victim's movements are tracked by taking control of the GPS on the phone it is represented on the map with location markers.

The recent WhatsApp hacking spree was carried out using a very powerful software called Pegasus, a product of the Israeli-based NSO group. Many journalists, activists and diplomats were caught off guard by the Spygate scandal. The software labelled as a weapon can access anyone's mobile phone. As per the company, the software was created to tackle terrorist organisations and organised crime. WION's West Asia chief, Daniele Pagani decodes the Pegasus software which can virtually access anything on your smartphone. Page-16 of the user manual of Pegasus which was leaked recently on the internet describes what kind of data Pegasus can access; the answer is "anything" be it your photos, browser history, calendar records, social media, even phone calls. In pics: A brief look at Israel's thriving hacking industry If this isn't scary enough, the Pegasus can monitor your location as well and record you via the phone's microphone. It can also access snapshots from the phone's camera and even capture the screen. Page-nine of the document lists out the benefits of Pegasus. Watch: WION breaks down how Pegasus broke into WhatsApp × Hackers can get unlimited access to a target's mobile devices. They can intercept calls and data while tracking specific applications like Skype, Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook and even the Blackberry messenger. Pegasus is the ultimate cyber-surveillance tool as it can extract data and information without the victims even realising that they have been hacked. The Pegasus user manual proudly proclaims on page-10 that the spyware doesn't leave a trace on a device as it can self destruct to escape detection. Here is how it looks on the other side. If you are using Pegasus to spy on someone these are the tools that are available to you. All stolen data is organised neatly into a calendar styled preview. The hackers can create alerts to track certain activity and can also even choose to view any specific activities, like messages, location information or emails. There is a call log too. Once a victim is hacked, their phone calls can be monitored. There is an option to playback specific conversations. There is a dashboard to track location activity as well. A victim's movements are tracked by taking control of the GPS on the phone it is represented on the map with location markers.

Explainer: NSO spygate row - How Pegasus broke into WhatsApp

WION tracks down Israeli Firm NSO and breaks down how Pegasus broke into WhatsApp. WION is first Indian Channel at NSO office.

WION breaks down how Pegasus broke into WhatsApp

Whatsapp on Sunday replied to the Indian Government's notice on Israeli firm's spyware Pegasus. Countering the Information and Technology (IT)&nbsp;Ministry's claim, the Facebook-owned entity said that it had alerted the government about the privacy breach in September.

Whatsapp said that it had informed the government that the privacy of 121 Indians was breached in September.

This, apart from the alert that it had sent to the IT Ministry in May&nbsp;this year.

However, the government said that while it did receive some communication from WhatsApp in the past, the alert was too vague and technical and did not specify the nature of the impact.

Journalists, activists and diplomats were targeted in the inter-continental spyware attack. WION's Siddhant Sibbal was also among those who were targeted.

Following this, the IT ministry had sought a detailed response from the messaging app saying that the Indian government was not informed about the hacks.

Remember, the Indian government had said that the messaging app failed to raise the snooping issue in august when the IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad held meetings with top Whatsapp bosses.&nbsp;

The meetings were held after WhatsApp rumours were blamed for spreading misinformation in the backdrop of lynchings in India.

The case only came to light last week, when Whatsapp filed a lawsuit against the Israeli firm NSO over the pegasus spyware.

However, concerns over the snoop gate were raised back in March.

In March 2019, affected Indians began receiving suspicious missed calls.

Whatsapp first flagged the breach in may this year.

The IT ministry issued a notification about the vulnerability in the same month.

Whatsapp on Sunday replied to the Indian Government's notice on Israeli firm's spyware Pegasus. Countering the Information and Technology (IT) Ministry's claim, the Facebook-owned entity said that it had alerted the government about the privacy breach in September.

Whatsapp on Sunday replied to the Indian Government's notice on Israeli firm's spyware Pegasus. Countering the Information and Technology (IT) Ministry's claim, the Facebook-owned entity said that it had alerted the government about the privacy breach in September. Whatsapp said that it had informed the government that the privacy of 121 Indians was breached in September. This, apart from the alert that it had sent to the IT Ministry in May this year. However, the government said that while it did receive some communication from WhatsApp in the past, the alert was too vague and technical and did not specify the nature of the impact. Journalists, activists and diplomats were targeted in the inter-continental spyware attack. WION's Siddhant Sibbal was also among those who were targeted. Following this, the IT ministry had sought a detailed response from the messaging app saying that the Indian government was not informed about the hacks. Remember, the Indian government had said that the messaging app failed to raise the snooping issue in august when the IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad held meetings with top Whatsapp bosses. The meetings were held after WhatsApp rumours were blamed for spreading misinformation in the backdrop of lynchings in India. The case only came to light last week, when Whatsapp filed a lawsuit against the Israeli firm NSO over the pegasus spyware. However, concerns over the snoop gate were raised back in March. In March 2019, affected Indians began receiving suspicious missed calls. Whatsapp first flagged the breach in may this year. The IT ministry issued a notification about the vulnerability in the same month.

Whatsapp replies to government; says alerted about privacy breach in September

Facebook-owned WhatsApp on Thursday said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli spyware Pegasus.

Are there any alternatives to Whatsapp?

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded the central government to summon Israel's ambassador over the alleged role of Israeli spyware Pegasus for 'snooping'&nbsp;on Indian citizens through WhatsApp.

"We have learned that there is a company from Israel that can get access to your WhatsApp account. They can listen to the conversations you have in your homes. The government should summon Israel's ambassador and ask him about it, instead of questioning WhatsApp," Owaisi said at an event on Saturday.

The central government has already clarified its stand on the matter.

Union information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the government is concerned at the breach of privacy of citizens of India on WhatsApp and has sought a detailed explanation from the messaging platform.

Meanwhile, speaking further at the event, Owaisi also slammed the Centre over issues of unemployment and poverty in the country while outlining the problems of TSRTC drivers in Telangana.

"The state of poverty and employment is such that drivers who went to their homes on Dussehra drove TSRTC buses when they were offered Rs 200 more," he said. "There is an economic slowdown in the country. People are worried and our Prime Minister is in Thailand," he added. Owaisi also spoke on the proposed signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, submitting that it would have serious effects on the milk industry. The AIMIM leader said: "They (the government) are going to sign RCEP agreement. I want to warn milk traders to be prepared that if Prime Minister signs RCEP the milk powder will come in imports at less than half price."

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that India remains committed to a comprehensive and balanced outcome of RCEP negotiations and seeks balance across goods, services and investments and also within each pillar.&nbsp;

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded the central government to summon Israel's ambassador over the alleged role of Israeli spyware Pegasus for 'snooping' on Indian citizens through WhatsApp.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded the central government to summon Israel's ambassador over the alleged role of Israeli spyware Pegasus for 'snooping' on Indian citizens through WhatsApp. "We have learned that there is a company from Israel that can get access to your WhatsApp account. They can listen to the conversations you have in your homes. The government should summon Israel's ambassador and ask him about it, instead of questioning WhatsApp," Owaisi said at an event on Saturday. The central government has already clarified its stand on the matter. Union information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the government is concerned at the breach of privacy of citizens of India on WhatsApp and has sought a detailed explanation from the messaging platform. Meanwhile, speaking further at the event, Owaisi also slammed the Centre over issues of unemployment and poverty in the country while outlining the problems of TSRTC drivers in Telangana. "The state of poverty and employment is such that drivers who went to their homes on Dussehra drove TSRTC buses when they were offered Rs 200 more," he said. "There is an economic slowdown in the country. People are worried and our Prime Minister is in Thailand," he added. Owaisi also spoke on the proposed signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, submitting that it would have serious effects on the milk industry. The AIMIM leader said: "They (the government) are going to sign RCEP agreement. I want to warn milk traders to be prepared that if Prime Minister signs RCEP the milk powder will come in imports at less than half price." Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that India remains committed to a comprehensive and balanced outcome of RCEP negotiations and seeks balance across goods, services and investments and also within each pillar.

Owaisi attacks Centre over WhatsApp snooping allegations

At the centre of the WhatsApp hack is Pegasus - a superweapon that can completely take over your phone. WION accessed the user manual of Pegasus. Have an insight into the ultimate snooping weapon.

Gravitas: The WhatsApp hack — What is the Pegasus?

The list of victims of the Whatsapp hack is growing. Smartphones of 41 Indians were compromised. But all parties involved - from WhatsApp to the NSO group and the government - are passing the buck.

Gravitas: WhatsApp snooping scandal gets bigger, 41 Indians now on the victims list

Data leaks don't bother you? Think Again how a hacker can ruin your life. But, there are many who won't be concerned about it.

WION Edit: Data leaks don't bother you? Think Again

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