Pegasus
Commercial mobile-device interception platform developed by NSO Group, capable of zero-click infection of iOS and Android phones, sold to sovereign government clients under Israeli export-license terms.
Pegasus is a commercial mobile-device interception platform developed by Israel's NSO Group. The product targets iOS and Android smartphones and is sold exclusively to sovereign government clients under Israeli export-license terms administered by the Defense Export Controls Agency (DECA).
Pegasus is best known for its zero-click infection capability — deployments that compromise a device without requiring the target to take any action. Once installed, the platform provides operators with access to messages, calls, microphones, cameras, location data, and end-to-end encrypted application content.
Pegasus came to global public attention through the Pegasus Project consortium investigation published in July 2021, coordinated by Forbidden Stories with technical analysis by Amnesty International's Security Lab and Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.
The product is the central exhibit in regulatory action against NSO Group, including the November 2021 US Commerce Department Entity List designation and the WhatsApp / Meta litigation. Pegasus has become the generic reference point in international debate over commercial spyware.
Related Olam Coverage
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- NSO, Cellebrite, and the Export-Control Regime
- The BIS Entity List: What It Does to an Israeli Company
See also: NSO Group · Zero-Day · Unit 8200 · Cellebrite · DECA · Defense Export License · Dream