The Pegasus spyware has been in the news over the last week, with many people fearing the NSO Group-made malware could be hiding on their phones. Pegasus is even more scary because it is invisible and difficult to detect and remove. But it might be becoming a bit easier to detect the spyware, because iVerify has added the capability to detect Pegasus to its smartphone app.
In a tweet, Ryan Storz, security engineer at the firm Trail of Bits, who leads development of iVerify said: “Just released iVerify 20.0, which now tells you if it detects traces of Pegasus.”
Amnesty International has also released a tool it says can detect Pegasus, available on GitHub but it is difficult to use—especially if you aren’t very technical. I already have iVerify on my iPhone, and it offers iPhone security scans and tips to stay secure. The app is actually Apple approved, which is unusual for a security app. According to Stortz’s tweet, it is also available for Android users via Google Play.
Have I been targeted by Pegasus?
It’s important to outline this first: It is extremely unlikely you have been targeted by Pegasus. NSO Group, which makes Pegasus, claims the spyware is only used on criminals such as terrorists.
There is evidence it has been used outside of this subset, and it has been found on the phones of people close to Khashoggi, the journalist who was murdered in 2018 for example. But the spyware is very targeted even when misused, and you only have to worry if you are a business leader, journalist or dissident or close to someone like this in an oppressive regime. The average person should remain calm.
The list of alleged Pegasus targets has been reported to include 50,000 people, but in reality it is much smaller. Respected journalist Kim Zetter has written a great article on the real figures and risk of Pegasus.
How does Pegasus spyware target smartphones?
Pegasus takes advantage of so-called zero day vulnerabilities in software—which means the issue hasn’t been patched. In the past, Pegasus reached people’s smartphone via a link they had to physically click on. But now the spyware can now make it onto your phone without you even having to interact with it too, via a so-called zero click attack. This could be a WhatsApp call you didn’t even have to answer.
Today, it is thought Pegasus is taking advantage of a vulnerability in Apple’s iMessage, which has not yet been patched.
Preventing Pegasus: What to do
So what should you do? Whether you are at risk or not, you should always take steps to keep your iPhone secure. Simple steps to get rid of Pegasus specifically could include restarting your phone, which in some cases can remove the spyware’s access to your device temporarily. Always apply software updates when they become available and if you are a target, remove iMessage from your iPhone for now.
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July 25, 2021 at 02:05PM
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Pegasus Spyware: This New App Says It Can Instantly Check For Pegasus - Forbes
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