• About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Tech News, Magazine & Review WordPress Theme 2017
  • Technology
    • Smartphones
    • Software & Application
    • Scientific
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Apple
    • Microsoft
    • Google
  • Review
    • Mobile Review
    • Laptop Review
    • Tablet Review
    • Tv Review
    • Wearable Review
    • Speaker & Headset Review
  • How To
    • Smartphone learning
    • Computer Learning
    • Photography Learning
  • Buying Guide
    Galaxy S21 Fe vs S21

    Galaxy S21 Fe vs S21; Which one should we buy?

    Galaxy Watch Buying Guide

    Galaxy Watch Buying Guide; Everything you need to know about the Samsung smartwatch

    The Best 4K TVs under $500

    The Best 4K TVs under $500

    iPhone 13 Buying Guide

    iPhone 13 Buying Guide; Everything you need to know about new Apple phones

    Samsung phone buying guide

    Samsung phone buying guide

    Gaming Monitor Buying Guide

    Gaming Monitor Buying Guide

    Tablet buying guide

    Tablet buying guide and tips you need to know before buying

    SSD Buying Guide for PlayStation 5

    SSD Buying Guide for PlayStation 5

    TV buying guide

    TV buying guide; Everything you need to know before choosing a TV

  • Wironal Plus
    • Car
    • Personal development
    • Health and Medical
    • Game
    • Business
    • Travel and tourism
No Result
View All Result
  • Technology
    • Smartphones
    • Software & Application
    • Scientific
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Apple
    • Microsoft
    • Google
  • Review
    • Mobile Review
    • Laptop Review
    • Tablet Review
    • Tv Review
    • Wearable Review
    • Speaker & Headset Review
  • How To
    • Smartphone learning
    • Computer Learning
    • Photography Learning
  • Buying Guide
    Galaxy S21 Fe vs S21

    Galaxy S21 Fe vs S21; Which one should we buy?

    Galaxy Watch Buying Guide

    Galaxy Watch Buying Guide; Everything you need to know about the Samsung smartwatch

    The Best 4K TVs under $500

    The Best 4K TVs under $500

    iPhone 13 Buying Guide

    iPhone 13 Buying Guide; Everything you need to know about new Apple phones

    Samsung phone buying guide

    Samsung phone buying guide

    Gaming Monitor Buying Guide

    Gaming Monitor Buying Guide

    Tablet buying guide

    Tablet buying guide and tips you need to know before buying

    SSD Buying Guide for PlayStation 5

    SSD Buying Guide for PlayStation 5

    TV buying guide

    TV buying guide; Everything you need to know before choosing a TV

  • Wironal Plus
    • Car
    • Personal development
    • Health and Medical
    • Game
    • Business
    • Travel and tourism
No Result
View All Result
Wironal
No Result
View All Result

What is Pegasus and how are smartphones used to spy?

Wironal by Wironal
October 23, 2022
Reading Time: 8 mins read
Home How To
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
5
(1)

What is Pegasus; Cyber espionage by governments has once again hit the headlines after the Guardian newspaper and 16 other media outlets reported on the use of commercial malware by authoritarian regimes to target political activists, politicians and journalists. This powerful commercial malware is called Pegasus and is sold for millions of dollars by an Israeli company called NSO Group.

Pegasus, the most sophisticated malware discovered, enables features such as recording phone calls, copying messages and secretly filming the gadget owner and those around him.

  • 5 basic steps to maintain the security of Android phone

What is Pegasus?

As we said, in very simple language, Pegasus is commercial spy software. Unlike malware used by cybercriminals to make money through theft and the like, Pegasus is designed for espionage only. When this tool can penetrate an Android phone or iPhone, the gadget becomes a complete eavesdropping tool.

Text messages, emails, WhatsApp messages, etc. can be easily read and copied with this tool. With this tool, it is even possible to record phone calls and steal photos from the phone. It can also secretly turn on the phone’s microphone and camera. When you combine these with the potential to access past and present spatial data, it is clear that the other party can access almost all of the victim’s desired information.

The first versions of Pegasus date back to 2016, so this is not a completely new tool. However, its capabilities and complexities have increased significantly from the early days. But not everyone can easily buy the tool, and NSO Group provides it to governments for millions of dollars.

RelatedPosts

How To Lock Apps On iPhone?

How To Lock Apps On iPhone?

November 11, 2022
How to hold the camera properly?

Introduction to Photography; How to hold the camera properly?

June 12, 2022
How to install a font in windows 11?

How to install a font in windows 11?

October 26, 2022
How to use 2 WhatsApp in one iPhone?

How to use 2 WhatsApp in one iPhone?

October 26, 2022
  • How to remove virus from smartphone

Fortunately, this means that such a tool is probably not in the hands of cybercriminals or terrorist groups. Although the company says the tool helps governments prevent terrorism and crime, some governments use Pegasus to target journalists, business executives, religious leaders and union officials. Among these countries we can mention Hungary, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India and the United Arab Emirates.

NSO Group says it provides services to more than 40 countries, but says it takes countries’ human rights record into account. The company also claims that Pegasus cannot be used for spying in the United States, and that none of its customers have received spy technology from phones based on American numbers.

Zero Day Vulnerabilities

All software has problems known as bugs. Also, the more complex the software, the higher the number of bugs. Most bugs are just annoying. For example, part of the user interface does not work as expected. Or, for example, a feature that does not work properly under certain conditions. You can find bugs in games, operating systems, Android and iOS applications, Windows and Mac applications, Linux and basically all software environments.

Unfortunately, using open source software is not a guarantee of a bug-free experience. Sometimes these projects are full of various bugs because most of the time the main part of the development of these projects is done by a small group (or even one person). For example, three security bugs were recently discovered in the Linux kernel that had been around for 15 years.

  • Get to know the most important personal computers in history

In the meantime, these are the security bugs that can cause a lot of problems. If the user encounters a problem, it will be fixed sooner or later, and this is not a problem. But when a bug compromises system security, the situation becomes more serious. Such bugs are so serious that companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft pay significant sums as a reward for their discovery. For example, Google paid $ 6.7 million for this project in 2020.

While tech giants spend millions of dollars fighting these security bugs, there are still many unknown vulnerabilities in Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux code. Some of these vulnerabilities are known as zero day vulnerabilities; This means that such holes are known to third parties, but the responsible company has not yet been able to detect them. This is why it is called day zero because the company has 0 days to solve the problem.

Finding zero-day vulnerabilities is by no means an easy task, and exploiting them makes it even harder. However, such a thing is possible. NSO Group has a team of experts who look into all the details of operating systems such as Android and iOS to find any vulnerabilities. Then, using these vulnerabilities, they create tools to bypass the security system of the desired gadget.

The ultimate goal of exploiting the zero day vulnerability is to gain complete control over the various gadgets. Once effective security holes are discovered, Pegasus can change things like system apps, change settings, and even activate various sensors without the user’s permission.

To exploit such vulnerabilities, a smart attack usually has to be designed first. For example, for these types of attacks, links are often sent via SMS or WhatsApp. Clicking the link will load the initial program. The task of this program is also to exploit the zero day vulnerability in the phone or gadget.

Unfortunately, some vulnerabilities can be exploited without the need to interact with the victim. For example, in 2019, Pegasus could be installed on the other party’s iPhone using the iMessage and Facetime bugs just by making a phone call to the victim.

  • 43% of the smart gadget chip market is owned by MediaTek

One way to estimate the number of day zero vulnerabilities is to look at the vulnerability statistics found. In 2020, Google announced that 859 Android vulnerabilities had been discovered, and in the same year, the number of iOS vulnerabilities reached 304. However, out of these 140 vulnerabilities in iOS allowed the execution of unauthorized codes, the number of such vulnerabilities in Android was 97 cases. All in all, as you can see, Android and iOS are not vulnerable to zero-day vulnerabilities.

How to prevent spyware from infiltrating?

If you’re really worried about this, tools like Pegasus will not be able to monitor your activities without a smartphone. A more practical solution is to not take your phone with you when attending sensitive meetings. Also, like Edward Snowden, you can block the phone’s camera, although these spyware can use a microphone to eavesdrop on your business.

All in all, if you think your activities are very important to a government and you also insist on using a smartphone, then thanks to tools like Pegasus, you can do little to combat this espionage. But in general, it is better to always install the latest updates for your phone.

  • What is a digital signature?

Apple, which regularly releases new updates for iOS, and for Android, it is better to choose a brand that has a lot of speed in this regard. If you have any doubts about different brands, we must say that Google phones play the leading role in this regard. On the other hand, we emphasize and never click on the link sent to you unless you are 100% sure that the link is real and safe. Even if you have a little doubt about the link, do not click on it.

We must also say that if you use an iPhone, do not think that you are immune to these attacks. As we said, Pegasus also targets the iPhone, and in 2019, for example, it could hack into the victims’ iPhones without having to send any links.

  • Android vs iOS; What is the status of the software update?

Finally, always be vigilant but keep your cool. You may say to yourself that you have nothing to hide, but does any of your friends or family members have access to important information? Journalists, business executives, academics and union officials are finally dealing with a lot of people. Therefore, it is better to be careful and reduce the possibility of spying on yourself and those around you by observing security tips.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Previous Post

How to Change Instagram Explore Page

Next Post

How to delete YouTube account

Wironal

Wironal

Related Posts

How To Lock Apps On iPhone?
Apple

How To Lock Apps On iPhone?

November 11, 2022
How to hold the camera properly?
Photography Learning

Introduction to Photography; How to hold the camera properly?

June 12, 2022
How to install a font in windows 11?
Computer Learning

How to install a font in windows 11?

October 26, 2022
How to use 2 WhatsApp in one iPhone?
Apple

How to use 2 WhatsApp in one iPhone?

October 26, 2022
Next Post
How to delete YouTube account

How to delete YouTube account

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

Recommended.

How to convert webp format to png and jpg

How to convert webp format to png and jpg

October 24, 2022
Do you need virus protection on a mac

Do you need virus protection on a mac

October 24, 2022
Take a screenshot on a Mac

Take a screenshot on a Mac (6 easier ways)

October 24, 2022

Subscribe.

Trending.

Xiaomi 11T Pro

Xiaomi 11T and 11T Pro introduced with 108 megapixel camera and 120Hz Oled display

October 24, 2022
Mercedes Benz S Class Guard 2022

The Mercedes Benz S Class Guard 2022 was introduced

October 23, 2022
Samsung s21 Fe vs s22

Samsung S21 Fe vs S22

October 26, 2022
How to clear iPhone cache memory

How to clear iPhone cache memory

October 26, 2022
How to use virtual desktop windows 11?

How to use virtual desktop windows 11?

October 26, 2022
Wironal

Wironal is not just a technology news portal. Although at first glance we may be a young website for information on technology news and technology events...

Follow Us

Reviews

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

By paying much less and buying the Galaxy A52s, you will $449
Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G Review

Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G

The Poco X4 Pro 5G is much more upgraded than its $275

Recent News

How To Lock Apps On iPhone?

How To Lock Apps On iPhone?

November 11, 2022
What temperature can damage a computer

What temperature can damage a computer?

November 11, 2022
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 Wironal - Technology news, review, buying guide and learning Wironal.

No Result
View All Result
  • Technology
    • Smartphones
    • Software & Application
    • Scientific
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Apple
    • Microsoft
    • Google
  • Review
    • Mobile Review
    • Laptop Review
    • Tablet Review
    • Tv Review
    • Wearable Review
    • Speaker & Headset Review
  • How To
    • Smartphone learning
    • Computer Learning
    • Photography Learning
  • Buying Guide
  • Wironal Plus
    • Car
    • Personal development
    • Health and Medical
    • Game
    • Business
    • Travel and tourism

© 2022 Wironal - Technology news, review, buying guide and learning Wironal.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In