Israel Police Used Pegasus Spyware vs Gov't Execs, Scribes

Israel Police used NSO's Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of public figures, including protest leaders, journalists, government employees, and associates of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report by Calcalist on Monday, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

Photo Insert: Israel's Police used the spyware against Israeli citizens for years without a warrant or court order.

According to the report, the hacking tool was used without a court order and against Netanyahu's son, Avner Netanyahu, a co-defendant in his criminal trial Iris Elovitch, leaders of disability rights protests, journalists at Walla news website, businessman Rami Levy, mayors, and senior officials in the Finance Ministry.

Netanyahu's media advisers, Topaz Luk and Yonatan Urich have also been targeted, alongside Head of Workers' Union Yair Katz.

The phones of former Finance Ministry Director General Shai Babed, former Justice Ministry Director General Emi Palmor, and former Transportation Ministry Director General Karen Turner were also reportedly hacked. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked called to establish an external commission of inquiry into the reports.

She tweeted: "If the reports are true this is an earthquake, and an act fitting to dark regimes of the last century. Mass invasion of people's privacy is lawlessness that must stop today. The Knesset and the public deserve answers today."

In January, Calcalist's Tomer Ganon published a series of articles detailing how Israel's Police used the spyware against Israeli citizens for years without a warrant or court order. On Tuesday, Israel Police admitted the misuse. Sources said the misuse occurred during the tenure of former Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich.

The Pegasus spyware allows its operators to remotely access mobile phones infected with the software. Sold to intelligence and law enforcement agencies across the world, the spyware exploits security vulnerabilities in Android and iPhone operating systems to gain access to the device's contents – from messages to photos.

The program also enables to remotely activate the phone’s camera and microphone, without the victim's knowledge.

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