SECURITY
SECURITY
Finnish diplomats’ cell phones were monitored using the Israeli Pegasus spy software, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today.
The Pegasus software was at the center of a major scandal last year when a list of some 50,000 “targets” was leaked worldwide. Among them were journalists, politicians, lawyers, and dissidents.
“We can now confirm that there was surveillance software on our mobile phones,” said Mati Parviainen, cyber security officer at the Finnish Foreign Ministry. These mobile phones were used by diplomats based abroad.
The Ministry did not want to announce how many targets there were, nor did it specify whether the identities of those monitoring them were known. “We are making some assumptions” about how long the phones were being monitored for, Parviainen added.
The Israeli company NSO, which developed Pegasus, has assured that it will cooperate in a possible investigation by the Finnish authorities.
Last November, the US blacklisted the NSO for “threatening state security”. Pegasus-infected “smartphones” turn into spyware so the software user can read the owner’s messages, view photos, locate and even turn on the camera without the latter being aware.
The NSO has stated that it only sells its software to “law enforcement agencies” that use its systems to fight crime, terrorism, and corruption.
Source: CNA
Also read: Denmark | Accuses Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran of espionage threats against it
RECENT
South Korea | The military accuses North Korea of jamming GPS signals
Qatar | The mediation for a truce between Israel and Hamas is over
Israel | Law passed to deport families of terrorists in Gaza
GEEF | Non-Commissioned Officer Conference
Sea Warden | MBDA’s system to counter unmanned threats at EURONAVAL 2024
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION
Flooding in Spain | 7,500 soldiers on the streets
King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez are expected to visit southeastern Spain today, 3/11/2024, where unprecedented…
Mexico | A mammoth bust of 8.3 tonnes of drugs seized by the Navy during operation in the Pacific Ocean
On Friday, a Navy operation in Mexico seized 8.3 tons of drugs, a record amount of drugs seized in the country in a maritime operation.
Coast Guard | Speedboat chase with migrants from Turkey—They paid 4000 euros each for their transport to Greece
They set off from a coastal area near Bodrum of Turkey, paying the amount of €4000 each for their transfer to Greece…
South Korea | The military accuses North Korea of jamming GPS signals
Tensions between the two states on the Korean peninsula have escalated as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has shown off his developing…
Qatar | The mediation for a truce between Israel and Hamas is over
Qatar will stop trying to mediate a truce in Gaza until Hamas and Israel demonstrate a sincere willingness to return to the negotiating…
Israel | Law passed to deport families of terrorists in Gaza
A law providing for the deportation to the Gaza Strip of close relatives of people who have committed terrorist attacks in the country was…
GEEF | Non-Commissioned Officer Conference
On Thursday 07 November 2024, as part of the activities for the thematic year “Non-Commissioned Officer” (NCOs), the General Staff of the…
Sea Warden | MBDA’s system to counter unmanned threats at EURONAVAL 2024
At the EURONAVALl 2024 exhibition, MBDA presented Sea Warden, a modular anti-drone system adapted to the naval environment that integrates…
Russia – North Korea | Validation of military cooperation treaty
Russia’s Federal Council on Wednesday ratified a new defence pact with North Korea, cementing a “comprehensive strategic partnership”…