- Canadian research laboratory Citizen Lab says it found Israeli spyware on the phone belonging to a Saudi dissident and Canadian asylee.
- Pegasus, the invasive spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, uses “exploit links” to infiltrate targets’ phones and retrieve data.
- Using the spyware to target civilians on foreign soil may be a violation of criminal codes, the lab says.
- Saudi Arabia and Canada are already embroiled in a bitter human rights battle.
Canadian research laboratory Citizen Lab says its uncovered forensic evidence that Saudi Arabian operators used Israeli technology to spy on dissidents in foreign countries.
In a report published in early October, lab researchers outlined how they discovered the NSO group’s spyware on the cell phone of Omar Abdulaziz, an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia who is currently living in Canada. The research group has been keeping tabs on Pegasus since 2016, when it initially exposed the spyware and connected it to the Israeli cyber company NSO Group.
The spyware is activated when its target clicks on an “exploit link.” Usually sent via text message, the link allows spyware operators to exploit a wide range of data and activity, including emails, messages, and contact lists. Operators can even capture activity, including conversations, using the phone’s camera.
Read the article by Caitlin Foster in Business Insider Australia.