NSO Group's Pegasus Spyware

Pegasus, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, can covertly access any smartphone — reading messages, tracking location, and activating the camera and microphone — with zero user interaction. Sold to governments as a counter-terrorism tool, the 2021 Pegasus Project investigation revealed it was used to surveil journalists, activists, lawyers, and opposition politicians in at least 45 countries. NSO Group has been blacklisted by the US Commerce Department.