Pegasus Spyware 

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Latest news on Pegasus spyware (NSO Group), covering the Pegasus Project, iPhone and Android hacking claims, zero-click exploits, Citizen Lab and Amnesty International Security Lab findings, the WhatsApp lawsuit, the US Entity List, the Polish inquiry, Israeli spyware, commercial spyware and surveillance of journalists and activists.

Pegasus is spyware made by Israel's NSO Group and sold to government clients. NSO says it is intended to collect data from specific individuals suspected of serious crime and terrorism. Researchers say that once installed it can read messages, track location and switch on a microphone. Some versions have been reported to infect a phone without any click by the user, known as a zero-click attack.

The courts have been a main arena. WhatsApp sued NSO Group over a 2019 hacking campaign, a US jury found against NSO in May 2025, and in October 2025 a judge issued a permanent injunction barring NSO from targeting WhatsApp while cutting the punitive damages to about $4 million. NSO had argued that the order would put its business at risk. In February 2024 Poland's prime minister said the previous government had bought and used Pegasus, which that government's party says was done only with court approval.

Detecting Pegasus is hard, so the work is mostly forensic. Researchers at Citizen Lab and Amnesty International's Security Lab examine phones for traces and publish findings. Users at risk are advised to install software updates promptly and to consider features such as Apple's Lockdown Mode. Newsrooms and rights groups also train staff to protect sources.

Supporters of lawful interception say tools like Pegasus help police and intelligence services fight terrorism and serious crime. Critics, including rights groups, say it has been used against journalists, activists and politicians, and call for stricter export controls and oversight. NSO Group strongly denied the Pegasus Project findings, calling them uncorroborated theories. Both sides agree that clear legal limits matter.

Citizen Lab identified Pegasus on the phone of the UAE human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor in August 2016, and Apple issued a security update in response. In July 2021 the Pegasus Project, a media and Amnesty International consortium led by Forbidden Stories, reported on a leaked list of about 50,000 phone numbers selected by NSO clients. In November 2021 the US added NSO Group to its Entity List.

Spyware stories move quickly across courts, governments and research labs. Our NewsNow Pegasus news feed gathers the latest headlines on Pegasus spyware, NSO Group, the Pegasus Project, Citizen Lab and commercial spyware from reliable sources worldwide, so you have a comprehensive, up-to-date view.