DNA Explainer: How a Saudi woman activist's iPhone revealed about Pegasus hacking

Pegasus, a software developed by the Israeli cyber security company NSO Group Technologies, created an uproar all over the world. This is a program that once inserted into someone's smartphone, hackers can get information about that phone's microphone, camera, audio and text messages, email and even location.

This software was stealing important information by hacking into the phones of thousands of people. In India too, hundreds of politicians, journalists, activists and businessmen were allegedly spied through this software. Serious questions were also raised on the government regarding this. 

But the world was unaware of how this vicious Pegasus came to be caught. Now it has been revealed and people are shocked. Engineers had access to this spy software through a photo file found in the iPhone of Saudi Arabian woman Loujain al-Hathloul.

Read | Want to check if your phone has been infected with Pegasus spyware? Here's a way to find out

How it was brought to light?

Lajoun Al-Hathlol is a renowned name working for women's rights in Saudi Arabia who played an important role in getting women the right to drive.

When Lajoun Al-Hathlol was released from prison in February last year, she suspected that her iPhone had been hacked.

The hacking of the iPhone was a big deal, as it is considered the most secure phone in the world.

Hathlol handed over his phone to Citizen Lab, a Canadian organisation, and asked them to find out the matter.

Scientists at Citizen Lab, an organisation working for the rights of privacy, closely examined the phone for six months.

A mysterious fake image file within her phone, mistakenly left behind by the spyware, tipped off security researchers.

This discovery of Citizen Lab researcher Will Markjack was considered historic.

Because this Israeli spy software was so clever that it did not leave any clues, so it was considered impossible to catch.

But the image file found in Hathlol's phone gave concrete evidence against Pegasus and NSO.

Timeline of events that followed

After this revelation, iPhone maker Apple sued Israeli cyber security company NSO in court in November 2021.

One after the other revelations were being made in the world about the victims of NSO and Pegasus.

Governments and government agencies of many countries were being put in the dock.

NSO issued a statement saying it does not sell its software to common people but only to governments or their agencies.

Company denied the allegations of espionage, but called for an investigation into allegations of intrusion of people's privacy.

The matter escalated so much that even the Israeli government had to walk away from the company.

How it operates?

Pegasus is considered zero click spying software. It does not require any of your actions to be installed on your phone or device.

It automatically enters your phone by trick. After that, you keep on transmitting every trivial information to its owner.

Where do you go, what do you talk to on the phone, what do you message, all the information reaches the hacker.

Even if you are physically meeting someone and the phone is with you, your conversation can be recorded.

Even video can be recorded secretly by turning on the camera. Pegasus is believed to be able to access WhatsApp chats.

Besides, it can access emails, SMS, GPS, photos, videos, microphone, camera, call recording, calendar, contact book, everything.