Hidden Threat: Pegasus Spyware More Widespread on iPhones Than Initially Thought

Pegasus Infections on iPhones More Common Than Previously Believed

Summary: A study conducted by iVerify, a security app designed to detect Pegasus spyware on iPhones, has revealed that the prevalence of Pegasus infections may be higher than initially thought. The NSO Group's Pegasus spyware is known for being used by governments and security agencies to target high-profile individuals such as political figures and journalists.

Key Findings:

• Initial Study (May 2024): Of the approximately 3,000 iPhone users who downloaded and used the iVerify app, seven verifiable detections of Pegasus were found, equating to a 0.25% infection rate.
• Second Wave (December 2024): After publishing an initial report, the app received around 18,000 more downloads, with 11 new cases detected. This brought the global incidence rate down to 1.5 per 1,000 scans.

Implications: The study suggests that mobile compromises can extend beyond high-value targets to a broader cross-section of society, including users in government, finance, logistics, and real estate industries.

Threat Notifications: Apple's Threat Notification system, which alerts users of potential surveillance attacks, failed to notify about half of the newly detected cases. This highlights the need for improvement in detecting and responding to such threats.

Government Response: In December 2023, Apple faced criticism from the Indian government after alerting independent journalists and opposition politicians about possible attacks from government hackers. The Indian government initiated a probe into Apple's threat detection algorithms and device security instead of addressing the hacking concerns.