After Pegasus, other Israeli spyware targets journalists and political figures, according to Canadian research laboratory Citizen Lab.
The software was created by the company QuaDream Ltd, founded by a former Israeli military officer and former member of the Israeli company NSO Group, creator of Pegasus, says the organization specializing in cybersecurity issues.
According to the latter, at least five people were attacked by the software in North America, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East. “Among the victims are journalists, political opponents and a member of an NGO,” the organization said, adding that it would not identify them at this time.
10 countries received these spied data
The issue of private spyware has come to the fore on the international scene after the cascade of revelations surrounding the Pegasus software, exported by the NSO company. In July 2021, a coordinated multi-media investigation revealed a list of more than 50,000 names of people who may have been monitored through Pegasus. These accusations have triggered scandals and sometimes legal proceedings in several countries, including the creation of a special commission of inquiry in the European Parliament.
Citizen Lab explained that once installed on a phone or computer, QuaDream spyware can record the sound of a phone call, take pictures, and search for files on the device… all without the user’s knowledge.
The software also allows access to data stored in the “cloud” (remotely) and also includes a self-destruct feature to hide its presence once it is no longer in use.
Citizen Lab has identified servers in ten countries that received data from victims’ devices, including Israel, Singapore, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and Bulgaria. QuaDream has sold this spyware to governments including Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco, Citizen Lab said.
Source: BFM TV
