Powerful Spyware Can Target Anyone, Even Government Officials
A European official investigating spyware had their own phone infected twice, showing how difficult this threat is to detect and prevent.
Source
CyberScoop
Original headline: Someone infected a spyware probe overseer with spyware
Plain-English summary by GetCyberRight. Read the full report at the source above.
Citizen Lab, a research organization, discovered that a member of a European Parliament committee investigating spyware was infected with Pegasus spyware twice. Pegasus is sophisticated spyware created by NSO Group that can secretly access everything on a smartphone, including messages, photos, and location data.
The infected person was ironically serving on a committee specifically examining this type of spyware. Most families do not need to worry about being targeted by Pegasus specifically. This spyware is expensive and typically used by governments to target journalists, activists, politicians, and other high-profile individuals.
However, this incident shows that even people who are aware of security threats and taking precautions can be infected. It also reminds us that our phones contain our entire digital lives and are vulnerable to attack. The average family cannot fully protect against nation-state spyware like Pegasus.
However, you can protect against more common phone threats. First, only install apps from the official Apple App Store or Google Play Store, never from links or unknown sources. Second, keep your phone's operating system updated to the latest version.
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Third, be extremely suspicious of any unexpected links sent to you via text message or messaging apps, even from people you know. For long term safety, treat your smartphone like you would your house keys or wallet. Use a strong passcode or biometric lock on your phone.
Be aware of what permissions you grant to apps. If an app asks to access your contacts, location, or camera and it does not need those things to function, deny the permission. Restart your phone once a week, as this can disrupt some types of spyware.
While you cannot protect against every threat, these steps will protect you from the vast majority of phone security risks that regular families actually face.
Curated from trusted cybersecurity sources by GetCyberRight
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