The spyware can monitor up to 500 phones in a year, but can only track a maximum of 50 at one go. He said it costs about $7-8 million per year to license Pegasus as per the sources on Pegasus' snooping capabilities. Allegedly the Israeli company developed a program that copied WhatsApp’s network traffic to target devices over the app’s servers.
NSO Group says that it is a supplier of surveillance tools to governments and law enforcers, and its products tackle and prevent serious crimes and support search and rescue operations after natural disasters.
Cybersecurity firms have in the past found the Pegasus software in both the Apple and Android operating systems. WhatsApp said the number of infected users may go up from the current estimate of 1,400, as more people come forward.
India holds for around a fourth of WhatsApp’s global 1.5 bn accounts. The security hole has made many fearful.
Facebook has tied up with 200 media outlets to launch a dedicated news tab on its platform that will highlight the most important national stories of the day in the US.
"We agree with the government of India's strong statement about the need to safeguard the privacy of all Indian citizens. That is why we've taken this strong action to hold cyber attackers accountable and why WhatsApp is so committed to the protection of all user messages through the product we provide," a WhatsApp spokesperson said.
The surveillance revelations come after the messaging platform sued Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group on Tuesday, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents including diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and government officials. NSO denied the allegations.from Technology News, Latest Gadget Reviews, Gaming & Tech Videos | Times of India https://ift.tt/o3b1NzK
