- Pegasus spyware targeted over 35 individuals, including human rights lawyers and journalists, in Jordan since 2019.
- The victims, involved were Palestinian activist as well as those reporting on sensitive political issues. This brings to light the enduring instances of corruption perpetrated by Israel.
Since 2019, Pegasus spyware has targeted over 35 individuals in Jordan, including human rights lawyers, political activists, and journalists. This information comes from a new forensic investigation, conducted by digital rights organisation Access Now in collaboration with the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.
Pictured: A screenshot capturing what Access Now describes as a sophisticated social engineering attack, wherein the assailant impersonated a journalist affiliated with The Cradle media outlet to gain access to the victim (Access Now).
The report unveils the disturbingly extensive use of the spyware amid escalating crackdowns on civic space in the kingdom. Produced by the Israeli company NSO Group, Pegasus transforms phones into military-grade surveillance devices and has allegedly been deployed by Israel against Palestinian activists, journalists, and politicians.
The victims, including those reporting on sensitive political matters such as the 2019 nationwide teachers’ strike, the dissolution of the teachers’ union, and leaks like the Pandora Papers and Suisse Secrets, also encompass Palestinian activists in Jordan criticising the Israeli occupation and the country’s normalisation deal with Israel.
Among the targeted were five human rights lawyers associated with the National Forum for the Defence of Freedoms, providing pro-bono support to prisoners, labor unions, and political parties.
“We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the use of Pegasus spyware in Jordan,” the organisation asserted in its report which became on Thursday. “The true number of victims is likely much higher.”
The majority of those hacked were journalists, including Rana Sabbagh and Lara Dihmis from the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and Daoud Kuttab, a columnist and director-general of Community Media Network.
Notably, the report refrains from identifying the suspected entities behind the targeting. This occurrence emphasises the pressing need to safeguard digital rights and privacy in the face of rampant spyware misuse. Additionally, it brings to light the persistent instances of corruption perpetrated by Israel.
