Pegasus Petitions, Supreme Court Verdict on Tomorrow
The Supreme Court will issue judgement on
petitions requesting a court-supervised investigation into claims of illegal
spying with the Israeli company NSO Group's Pegasus software tomorrow. The
decision will be pronounced at 10.30 a.m. by the bench headed by Chief Justice
NV Ramana. Previously, the Chief Justice stated that he would form a team of
experts to investigate the situation.
On September 13, the Supreme Court postponed its
decision on the case. Chief Justice Ramana indicated that the judgement was
taking longer than expected since several professionals appointed by the court
to serve on the committee rejected the opportunity to assume responsibility for
personal reasons.
However, the central government has not yet commented
on whether Pegasus spy software was used or not. The petition was filed by
senior journalists N. Ram, Sashi Kumar and John Brittas MP.
Following that, the court asked whether the central
government planned to file any more affidavits. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta
told the Court that the issue raised "questions of national
security," and that the government did not want to disclose specifics in a
public affidavit to be submitted in court and make it a topic of public discussion.
Last July, an investigation by 17 international media
found that the phones of several Indian politicians, activists, and journalists
were hacked using spy software. However, the central government has stated that
there was no unauthorized intervention by government agencies and that the
report was unsubstantiated and based on preconceived notions.
What is Pegasus? Who is the Israeli spyware targeting?
Pegasus is the latest malware software or spyware for
espionage. The spyware was developed by an Israeli-based NSO company. Their
method is to hack computers and smartphones, leak information and pass it on to
other parties. It leaks photos, chats, locations and other personal information
on your phone and computer.
In 2016, Pegasus espionage first made headlines. The
suspicious message was first spotted on the iPhone of Ahmed Mansoor, a social
activist in the UAE. After this became international news, Apple closed the
loopholes used by Pegasus and updated the software. Similar incidents were
reported on Android phones after the incident.
The NSO, as the creators of the Pegasus spy network,
was sued by Facebook in 2019. This comes after reports that the firm leaked
WhatsApp information of major politicians, journalists, and social activists,
including in India.
How does Pegasus operate?
Pegasus is the most advanced hacking system in the
world. The users will not even get a hint that their phones have been
hacked. This spyware is mainly aimed at iPhones and Android phones.
Malware is installed by exploiting loopholes and security vulnerabilities in
software on phones and computers.
Access this spyware phone with a single miss call. Once
the virus enters the call, the missed call number will be deleted from the call
log. This is so that no trace of evidence remains as part of the espionage
effort. This spyware is developed using the latest technology and sophisticated
features.
In addition to missed calls, Pegasus enters devices
through links and messages. By clicking on such links or messages, the spyware
takes control of the phone. Pegasus mainly leaks photos and confidential
information on the phone. It can also leak all information such as caller logs,
contact lists, e-mail, SMS, and GPS, as well as encrypted WhatsApp chats.
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