Pegasus Spyware | Pegasus Workings, Detections and Protections.

Pegasus spyware is a product of the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group that can covertly install on mobile phones running most versions of iOS and Android. It can exploit iOS versions up to 14.7 and for Android least 'Android 5.0 (Lollipop)' through a zero-click exploit. It can access and steal everything on the device, including text messages, calls, passwords, location, camera, microphone, and information from apps.

Purchase:

Pegasus spyware is not available for purchase by just anyone. It is sold by NSO Group to governments only for tracking criminals and terrorists, according to the company, and it costs millions to buy. The spyware is sold in the form of licenses, and the actual prices depend on the contract. The cost of one license can be as high as  500,000 Dollar . With one license, multiple smartphones can be tracked. NSO Group charges a minimum of around 650,000 Dollar for spying on just 10 people using Pegasus.

NSO Group:

NSO Group is an Israeli cyber-intelligence firm primarily known for its proprietary spyware Pegasus, which is capable of remote zero-click surveillance of smartphones. The company develops technology to help government agencies detect and prevent a wide range of local and global threats. Their products help licensed government intelligence and law-enforcement agencies lawfully address the most dangerous issues in today’s world. The company was founded in 2010 by Niv Carmi, Omri Lavie, and Shalev Hulio . 

What is zero-click surveillance?

A zero-click attack takes advantage of vulnerabilities in software to carry out an attack without user interaction. By exploiting this vulnerability, the exploit can install malware or perform other malicious interactions on a user’s device without the target needing to click on a link, open a malicious file or take any other action.

How does Pegasus spyware work?

The Pegasus spyware works on the Zero-day vulnerability and the process of adding malicious codes is called external binding. This spyware requires a third-party application to get installed and executed using vulnerabilities of the application. The latest version of this spyware can be installed and executed just through a missed call to the target device. The spyware tricks the vulnerability of the third-party application and takes complete control of the device . It is designed to work when the mobile phone is powered on and connected to the internet.

Protection From Pegasus:

Here are some ways to protect your phone from Pegasus spyware:

•  Keep your phone's operating system up to date.
• Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.
• Use two-factor authentication for all your accounts.
• Use a VPN when browsing the internet.
• Use an antivirus app that can detect and remove spyware .

Detectors for Pegasus:

 The best-known spyware detector for Pegasus is the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT), made specifically to combat this spyware. It was created by Amnesty International to determine how big of a threat Pegasus actually is. In general, once installed on your devices, MVT can :

• Check if your device has been infected with Pegasus spyware.
• Detect if your device has been targeted by Pegasus spyware in the past.
• Check if your device has been jailbroken or rooted.
• Detect if your device has been tampered with.

Detect Pegasus for Computer using Linux:

You can detect Pegasus spyware on Linux by following these steps:

• Open the terminal on your Linux machine.
• Type the following command and press Enter:

sudo apt-get install clamav

• Once the installation is complete, type the following command and press Enter:

sudo freshclam

• This will update the virus definitions for ClamAV.
• Type the following command and press Enter:

sudo clamscan -r /

This will scan your entire system for viruses and malware, including Pegasus spyware.

Detect Pegasus Spyware from Android Mobile using Linux:

Android Mobiles can not detect Pegasus Spyware. You can detect Pegasus spyware on your Android mobile using Linux by following these steps:

1. Connect your Android mobile to your Linux machine using a USB cable.

2. Open the terminal on your Linux machine.

3. Type the following command and press Enter:

adb shell dumpsys package > packages.txt

4. This will create a file named packages.txt in the current directory.

5. Type the following command and press Enter:

grep -i pegasus packages.txt

6. This will search for any package with the name "pegasus" in the packages.txt file.

7. If you find any package with the name "pegasus", uninstall it immediately.

Detect Pegasus Spyware from iPhone:

However, you can detect Pegasus spyware on your iPhone by following these steps:

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Tap on General.
• Tap on iPhone Storage.
• Look for any suspicious apps that you don’t recognize.

If you find any suspicious apps, delete them immediately.