It became known that VIPs, heads of state, journalists and opposition figures around the world were being eavesdropped using the Pegasus surveillance and espionage tool. A statement from Avast, Jakub Vavra, Mobile Threat Analyst
“Pegasus is a remote access tool (RAT) with spyware, ie spy software, properties. Its Android variants can extract data from popular messenger platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Viber, as well as email programs and browsers. The spyware is able to remotely monitor the user's screen via microphone and camera, take screenshots and record the inputs of the smartphone owners via keylogging. These features make Pegasus a dangerous tool that can be misused to spy on ignorant people.
Since 2016, we've tracked and blocked multiple attempts by Pegasus spyware to infiltrate Android phones, most of them in 2019. Avast, like any other spyware, blocks Pegasus to protect its users. Obviously, Pegasus is used very deliberately, because in contrast to spyware, which is often widespread in order to access massive amounts of user data, Pegasus is not very widespread and is only used by a few people - apparently for surveillance purposes. The minimal spread of spyware does not make it any less dangerous, because for each and every individual who is monitored, the damage to privacy is certainly enormous. "
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About Avast Avast (LSE: AVST), a FTSE 100 company, is a leading global provider of digital security and privacy products. Avast has over 400 million online users and offers products under the Avast and AVG brands that protect people from threats from the Internet and the evolving IoT threat landscape. The company's threat detection network is one of the most advanced in the world, using technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect and stop threats in real time. Avast's digital security products for mobile, PC or Mac have been top-rated and certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and other test institutes.