Meduza co-founder's phone infected with Pegasus (meduza.io)

Article summary

Meduza co-founder Galina Timchenko's phone was infected with Pegasus spyware, making her the first Russian journalist to be targeted with this software. The infection was discovered after Timchenko received a threat notification from Apple, and experts from Access Now and Citizen Lab helped analyze the data from her devices. Pegasus gives attackers total access to a device's contents, including messages, emails, and photos. The attack is believed to have been carried out by a state client of NSO Group, the Israeli company that developed Pegasus.

Main themes

• Pegasus spyware
• NSO Group
• Surveillance and privacy
• Journalism and censorship
• Cybersecurity and exploits
• State-sponsored hacking

What commenters say

• Pegasus is a highly targeted and exclusive spyware that is unlikely to spread by itself, as it would burn the expensive zero-day exploits used to infect devices.
• The business model of NSO Group relies on selling Pegasus to a small number of state clients, who use it to target specific individuals, including journalists and activists.
• Some commenters believe that Meduza has published lies and has a biased agenda, while others defend the outlet as a reliable source of information that tries to remain impartial.
• There is no technical reason why Pegasus couldn't spread by itself, but it is not in the interest of the operators to allow uncontrolled spread, as it would lead to the discovery and patching of the vulnerabilities used.
• Reading multiple sources, including those with different biases, is necessary to get a balanced view of the news, as no single source is completely neutral or reliable.
• Some argue that phone numbers are not the primary target of Pegasus, but rather the apps and devices themselves, which can be compromised through zero-click exploits.
• The use of Pegasus by governments and other actors raises concerns about privacy and surveillance, and some commenters suggest that Apple and other companies should do more to protect their users from these threats.