Israel's NSO Group: Our malware? Slurp your cloud backups plus phone data? They've misunderstood

Israeli spyware firm NSO Group has denied it developed malware that can steal user data from cloud services run by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft. The Financial Times reported this morning that NSO's Pegasus malware, which was previously known to be capable of slurping data from a phone handset, "has now evolved …

[Anonymous Coward]

"Our product is licensed in small scale"

Because nobody used unlicensed software, anywhere, ever.

[JohnFen]

Re: "Our product is licensed in small scale"

And those who do have a license are always meticulous about making sure they adhere to all its terms.

[Nick Kew]

Unlicensed Pegasus

Call me paranoid, but the prospect of being on the Wrong Side of the Pegasus developers makes me uneasy. If pirate copies of Larry could contain a PC virus thirtysomething years ago, how much more trouble could you be in pirating something that's not a silly game but world-leading malware?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Unlicensed Pegasus

Criminals are often not the brightest hacking tool in the toolbox. If they were that worried about getting into trouble, they would hardly be pursuing a life of crime.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Unlicensed Pegasus

Depends which country you are in and what is defined as "crime". NSO don't seem to be all that fussy about which governments they sell to.

[Michael Wojcik]

Re: Unlicensed Pegasus

NSO don't seem to be all that fussy about which governments they sell to.

Indeed. There's significant evidence that they're perfectly happy to deal with a wide range of repressive regimes. If the people at NSO Group have any ethics whatsoever, they done a damn good job of hiding it.

A denial by NSO Group is meaningless.

[samcrxss]

Re: Unlicensed Pegasus

Piracy isn't a criminal offence in every case. If you're just downloading the software, and not using it for commercial gain, it's a civil matter AFAIK. Piracy doesn't make you a criminal.

[Anonymous Coward]

Pegasus is now capable of copying authentication keys

"The Pink 'Un reported that Pegasus is now capable of copying authentication keys of services including Google Drive, Facebook Messenger and iCloud from an infected device"

I don't doubt this at all.

Both Google and Facebook have given application developers access to users authentication tokens and allowed dubious apps to abuse permissions to slurp up victims data for targeted ads for years.

It should come as no surprise that nation-state actors with questionable ethics and a history of human rights abuses would also use similar software to silence dissent and lock up or murder journalists and/or prtotesters.

(I'll leave it to readers to figure out which nation-state actors I am referring to)

[Forum McForumface]

Re: Pegasus is now capable of copying authentication keys

“I'll leave it to readers to figure out which nation-state actors I am referring to”

All of them?

[Nick Kew]

Denial

I think I can believe both the story and the denial.

That is to say, the story may be essentially correct, but inaccurate in some subtle detail. Technicalities can be very useful!

[Anonymous Coward]

...for the sole purpose of preventing or investigating serious crime including terrorism, by non law enforcement authorities.

TFTFY

[Claverhouse]

Ego Te Absolvo

TERRORISM !

[J. R. Hartley]

Criticising an Israeli product?

You must be an antisemite.

</sarcasm>

[Potemkine!]

"Our products are licensed in small scale to legitimate government intelligence and law enforcement agencies for the sole purpose of preventing or investigating serious crime including terrorism.

Pure BS. This company is willing to work with any rogue government if it pays enough.

Look for instance Uganda: (https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/africa/uganda/): "The rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly were restricted. Journalists and others who criticized the President or his family were arrested, detained and harassed." - Thank you NSO!

[ChrisElvidge]

The Pink 'Un

I always thought The Pink 'Un was The Sporting Times