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Malicious Life
Is NSO Evil? Part 1
Oct 30, 2023
Investigative journalists uncover a major cyber surveillance scandal involving the use of Pegasus spyware tool by authoritarian states. Analyzing the reputation of controversial NSO, questioning their evilness or indifference. NSO's success in Mexico and capturing El Chapo. Ethical concerns surrounding NSO's products and their targeting of journalists and anti-corruption activists. Results of a Twitter poll on paying ransom in ransomware attacks and promotion for an upcoming online talk.
32:18
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Quick takeaways
- The Pegasus spyware developed by NSO Group was used in a coordinated surveillance campaign by authoritarian states to target human rights activists, politicians, lawyers, and journalists from 24 countries, leading to outrage and consequences such as Amazon terminating all NSO-related accounts.
- NSO, founded by Shalev Julio and Omri Lavie, developed the Pegasus spyware tool after their previous startup venture caught the attention of a European intelligence service, raising ethical concerns about its potential misuse and the extent of NSO's involvement in its operation and oversight by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Deep dives
The Pegasus Scandal: A Massive Cyber Surveillance Revelation
Forbidden Stories, a French journalism nonprofit organization, exposed the largest cyber surveillance scandal since the Snowden revelations. Investigative journalists from 17 media organizations uncovered a coordinated espionage campaign carried out by authoritarian states using the Spyware tool, Pegasus. The tool allowed them to target human rights activists, politicians, lawyers, and journalists from 24 countries. The scandal led to outrage, with consequences such as Amazon terminating all accounts associated with NSO, the cyber intelligence firm behind Pegasus, and President Macron demanding an inquiry into the matter.
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Discover
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