According to the latest news, the Federal Criminal Police Office has bought a version of the Pegasus espionage software from the controversial Israeli provider NSO Group. A statement from Jaya Baloo, Head of Cybersecurity at Avast, a leading provider of IT security and data protection solutions.
Jaya Baloo, head of cybersecurity at Avast (Image: Avast).
Spy software like Pegasus is particularly problematic as it can easily be released into the wild and used to spy on innocent people as well. It was only this summer that we learned that Pegasus was being used to eavesdrop on communications from journalists and human rights activists, which constitutes a serious violation of human rights. The spy software is able to monitor the communication of individual users remotely via microphone and camera, to take screenshots of the smartphone screen and to log the inputs of the users via keylogging.
Pegasus spyware known since 2016
Since 2016, we've tracked and blocked multiple attempts by Pegasus spyware to penetrate Android phones, most of them in 2019. Avast blocks known versions of Pegasus on Android like any other spyware to protect its users. Avast is also constantly on the lookout for new versions of the spyware. If this is the case, the new variant is immediately classified and added to the recognition database.
More at Avast.com
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.