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Israeli Firm’s Spyware Found on Phones Worldwide, Post Says

  • Investigation shows phones of journalists, activists targeted
  • NSO Group denies findings, calls them exaggerated and baseless
The Israeli NSO Group company offices in Herzliya, Israel. R

The Israeli NSO Group company offices in Herzliya, Israel. R

Photographer: Daniella Cheslow/AP Photo
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Israeli company NSO Group Ltd.’s Pegasus spyware was used in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, activists and business executives worldwide, according to an investigation by The Washington Post and its media partners.

Among the findings is that the spyware was used to target the smartphones of both the wife and the fiance of murdered Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Their phone numbers appeared on a list of more than 50,000 numbers, which the consortium said were possible targets for surveillance by governments using Pegasus.