AMMAN — In a court statement released on Monday, Spain’s
High Court has shelved the investigation on the alleged hacking of ministers’
phones with Pegasus spyware, a zero-click mobile surveillance software designed
to infiltrate iOS and Android devices, developed by
Israeli NSO Group over a
“complete” lack of cooperation from Israel.
اضافة اعلان
The investigation was launched in May 2022 after the
Spanish government said the program infiltrated the mobile phones of high-ranking
officials to spy on them, Almayadeen reported. According to the report, Prime
Minister Pedro Sanchez,
Defense Minister Margarita Robles, Interior Minister
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Agriculture Minister Luis Planas are among the
politicians whose phones have been contaminated by the program.
Responsibility on an external attack
Spanish authorities are still unsure of who was behind the
attacks, although, they placed the responsibility on an external attack.
Meanwhile,
Spanish media made a possible connection that Morocco could have
been responsible for the attack as the phones were tapped during the height of
the conflict between both countries.
In June 2022, a formal request for international judicial
assistance was filed by Spanish judge, Jose Luis Calama to the Israeli
government, requesting information about the software as well as an in-person
meeting with the chief executive of NSO, Amad reported.
Israel has not responded to Spain’s inquiries
According to the court, an inquiry had been sent four times
to Israel for its involvement with no response. The court concluded that all
that remains possible now is a possible diplomatic channel capable of promoting
compliance between both countries with obligations derived from international
treaties.
What is Pegasus?
Pegasus, which was captured by researchers in 2016, infects
phones through what is called spear-phishing by tracking text messages or
emails that trick a target into clicking on a malicious link. The program,
which was allegedly developed by the
Israeli NSO Group to combat terror and
crime, has not been without controversary, The Guardian reported.
The software has been deployed as a cyber weapon with
espionage attacks on political figures, well-known journalists, and other civil
society leaders. As zero-click spyware, it can be installed on a target’s phone
without the victim needing to take any action themselves.
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