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<ul><li>More than a day has passed since the New York Times report saying the Indian government bought the spyware from Israel and there is very little in terms of response from the government. </li><li>It shows that either the government doesn’t take lying as a serious charge or it has little material to defend itself and neither of the two is a good show on an elected government in a democracy. </li><li>Check out more stories from the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bi-newsletter">Simply Put series</a>, Business Insider’s uniquely simple explainers on the hottest news topics every week and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/newsletters_signup.cms">sign up</a> for the weekly newsletter if you like.</li></ul>At first, about six months ago, the question was whether the spyware was used by the Narendra Modi government to trace and track the dissenters. Now, after the New York Times investigation, the first question to be answered is whether Modi's ministers lied to the Parliament. And, the government’s silence on the New York Times charge that it bought Pegasus spyware is eerie. The Prime Minister gave his frequent radio address, called the Mann ki Baat, on January 30, but there was no mention of the Pegasus issue. The opposition is likely to launch a high decibel protest, demanding a response from the Modi government in the Parliament when it opens for <a href="https://businessinsider.in/budget">the Budget session this week</a>. A minister of the Modi government, Ashwini Vaishnaw, had denied the snooping charge in Parliament saying India was not one of the buyers of the Pegasus spyware. The Ministry of Defence backed it up saying it didn’t do any transaction with the NSO Group that sells Pegasus. The government lawyer maintained a similar stance at the Supreme Court of India as well, but the court did not find it convincing. These were some of the court’s observations after the government’s response to the charge that it used national security as an excuse to illegally monitor its detractors: <ul><li>There has been no specific denial by the Centre. Thus, we have no option but to accept the submissions of the petitioner and appoint an expert committee whose function will be overseen by the Supreme Court.</li><li>There is no clear stand from the government. There is a serious concern of foreign agency involvement by surveilling Indians.</li><li>The Solicitor General had suggested that many such reports are motivated. However, such omnibus oral submissions cannot be accepted.</li></ul> Given the Modi administration’s response in the preceding months, the implication of the latest New York Times report is that the Modi administration lied both to the Parliament and the Supreme Court. It’s a charge similar to the Watergate scandal in the United States that toppled the Richard Nixon administration in the early 1970s. Even Subramanian Swamy, a member of Parliament from Modi’s own party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has raised a similar question. <div type="twitter" handle="Swamy39" handlename="Subramanian Swamy" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1326823978174910465/lBQbS0ZX_normal.jpg" favoritecount="15368" retweetcount="4437" status="Modi government must rebut New York Times revelations today that It did indeed subscribe by payment from tax payers… https://t.co/gBWw1J1jfV" createdat="1643424463000" id="1487256113187721217"></div> The New York Times report has alleged that the Indian government under Modi did buy the spyware from Israel as part of a $2 billion purchase of defence equipment. The report also connected this purchase with India supporting Israel at a United Nations (UN) forum ⁠— <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/politics/israel-palestine-conflict-here-is-how-india-has-voted-in-un-over-the-years-6956341.html">a shift from its long-standing support for the Palestinian cause</a> ⁠— to deny a Palestinian human rights organisation an ‘observer status’. More than a day has passed since the latest report and there is very little in terms of response from the government or the Prime Minister. So far, there is a tweet from a junior minister for civil aviation and road transport and highways, General VK Singh, who has called the New York Times ‘supari media’. Taking a Supari ⁠— the Hindi word for betel nut ⁠— is a colloquially used to describe a hit job. Syed Akbaruuddin, India’s former permanent representative to the UN, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/utter-rubbish-ex-diplomat-syed-akbaruddin-on-nyt-pegasus-report-citing-indias-un-vote-2736819">has ‘rubbished’ the link</a> with India’s stance in support of Israel against Palestinians. Other than these, there isn’t another official word on the matter so far. Considering the seriousness of the charge, it would be fair to expect that the Prime Minister would have defended the government in his Mann ki baat address to the voters today. But he didn't. <div type="Youtube" id="WdprihSHmmQ" title="PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat with the Nation, January 2022" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WdprihSHmmQ/mqdefault.jpg"></div> There are two ways to look at it. Either team Modi doesn’t take the charge of ‘lying to Parliament’ seriously. It’s not a good show on an elected government in a democracy that it doesn’t take offence to being called a liar, especially in the Parliament. Or, it doesn’t have enough material to defend itself. An expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court, led by a former judge RV Raveendran, is already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/supreme-court-of-india-verdict-on-pegasus-spying-case-appoints-a-retired-judge-committee-for-probe/articleshow/87299281.cms">looking into the snooping charges</a>. If the three-member panel arrives at a conclusion that there was illegal supervision, it could automatically imply that the tool i.e. Pegasus was purchased by the government. A clean chit from the Justice Raveendran panel would be a good thing for Modi and his government but it isn’t here, at least not yet. Meanwhile, ignoring the charge of lying, or wishing it away, is not an option. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/pegasus-google-reveals-how-the-sophisticated-spyware-hacked-into-iphones-without-users-knowledge/articleshow/88383175.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Google reveals how the sophisticated spyware Pegasus hacked into iPhones without user’s knowledge</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/rupee-is-likely-to-weaken-against-the-us-dollar-in-2022-as-per-experts/articleshow/89218673.cms">Experts say the rupee is likely to weaken against the US dollar this year</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2022-indian-government-can-help-zomato-swiggy-uber-and-ola-can-increase-salary-of-delivery-partners-and-drivers/articleshow/89180404.cms">There’s a way government can prod Zomato, Swiggy, Uber and Ola to increase salaries of delivery partners and drivers</a>

Simply put, the charge on the Modi government is that it lied to the Parliament about buying Pegasus spyware and it must respond

New Delhi, In a damning report, researchers from Canada-based Citizen Lab have revealed that the Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel-based NSO Group, compromised the <keyword id="10468098" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iphones-of-dozens">iPhones of dozens</keyword> of journalists. In July and August this year, <keyword id="10468095" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-operatives">government operatives</keyword> used NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to hack 36 <keyword id="10468097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="personal-phones">personal phones</keyword> belonging to journalists, producers, anchors, and executives at Al Jazeera. The personal phone of a journalist at London-based Al Araby TV was also hacked, said researchers in a report that came out on Sunday. "The phones were compromised using an <keyword id="10468096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="exploit-chain">exploit chain</keyword> that we call KISMET, which appears to involve an invisible zero-click exploit in iMessage" in iPhones. In July 2020, KISMET was a zero-day against at <keyword id="10468094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="least-ios">least iOS</keyword> 13.5.1 and could hack Apple's then-latest iPhone 11. "Based on logs from compromised phones, we believe that NSO Group customers also successfully deployed KISMET or a related zero-click, zero-day exploit between October and December 2019," said the researchers from the Citizen Lab, which is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy, University of Toronto. <keyword id="9600060" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-nso-group">The NSO Group</keyword> is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Facebook, which last year accused that the Israeli spyware maker used Pegasus in WhatsApp to infect some 1,400 people, mostly celebrities. Facebook has submitted detailed proof in the court about the Israeli company and the allegedly hacking into at least 1,400 WhatsApp users last year via its controversial surveillance software Pegasus. The new Citizen Lab report further stated that the 36 journalists were hacked by four Pegasus operators, "including one operator MONARCHY that we attribute to Saudi Arabia, and one operator SNEAKY KESTREL that we attribute to the United Arab Emirates". "We do not believe that KISMET works against iOS 14 and above, which includes new security protections. All iOS device owners should immediately update to the latest version of the operating system". Given the global reach of NSO Group's customer base and the apparent vulnerability of almost all iPhone devices prior to the iOS 14 update, the researchers suspect that the infections were a miniscule fraction of the total attacks leveraging this exploit. Infrastructure used in these attacks included servers in Germany, France, UK, and Italy using cloud providers Aruba, Choopa, CloudSigma, and DigitalOcean. The researchers have shared the findings with Apple and the company was looking into the issue. NSO said in a statement to <keyword id="179988" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="TechCrunch">TechCrunch</keyword> it was unable to comment on the allegations as it had not seen the report. "This is the first we are hearing of these assertions. As we have repeatedly stated, we do not have access to any information related to the identities of individuals upon whom our system is alleged to have been used to conduct surveillances," a NSO spokesperson was quoted and saying. Counting the 36 cases revealed in the new report, there are now at least 50 publicly known cases of journalists and others in media targeted with NSO spyware, with attacks observed as recently as August 2020. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/heres-what-analysts-say-if-you-should-subscribe-or-not-to-the-300-crore-ipo-of-antony-waste-handling-cell/articleshow/79790998.cms">Antony Waste Handling Cell ₹300-crore IPO opens today — these are the risks and opportunities</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/the-founder-of-sugar-cosmetics-explains-how-the-startup-clocked-a-60-growth-in-sales-during-the-pandemic/articleshow/79832966.cms">The founder of SUGAR cosmetics explains how the startup clocked a 60% growth in sales during the pandemic</a>

Israeli spyware used to hack phones of dozens of Al Jazeera journalists

<ul><li>India’s IT Ministry will have its <keyword id="85206" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parliamentary-committee">Parliamentary Committee</keyword> will be taking up the <keyword id="4298942" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Whatsapp-hack">WhatsApp hack</keyword> on November 20. </li><li>Meanwhile RSS activist, <keyword id="149676" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="KN-Govindacharya">KN Govindacharya</keyword>, is trying to get the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>’s attention. </li><li>Lawyers feel the petition will only result in the government citing national security and sealed cover. </li></ul>The WhatsApp security breach has caught the attention of India’s IT ministry. A Standing Parliamentary Committee (SPC) will be looking into the incident on November 20. The chairman of the committee explained that there had been a number of requests for comments on the disclosure of ‘snooping on Indians’, according to the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/house-panel-to-take-up-whatsapp-snooping-issue-on-november-20-6105248/">Indian Express</a>. Meanwhile, a right wing activist from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), KN Govindacharya, is trying to draw the attention of the Supreme Court to this matter. He <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/snoopgate-criminal-suit-in-sc-against-whatsapp-govt/articleshow/71913901.cms">filed a petition</a> asking FIRs to be registered against Facebook, Whatsapp and the NSO Group. But going to the Supreme Court might be redundant, according to lawyer Gautam Bhatai. “In recent times, the Supreme Court’s own record in matter where facts are still to established has been the strongest. There exist other institutions — including Parliamentary Committees — who have already stated that surveillance issues fall within their remit,” he tweeted. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="gautambhatia88" handlename="Gautam Bhatia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/898610250181361664/2CoNa01q_normal.jpg" favoritecount="167" retweetcount="90" status="As we were informed when the scandal broke, the software is only sold to government or government affiliates. Going… https://t.co/vHjXSbHQMT" createdat="1572877774000" id="1191361850992201728"></div>




 In the name of national security Facebook <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/heres-why-facebook-is-suing-the-nso-group-over-the-whatsapp-hack/articleshow/71814518.cms">filed a lawsuit</a> against the Israeli security firm, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-hacker-pegasus-spyware-attacked-100-others/articleshow/71851228.cms">the NSO Group</a>, claiming that the privacy of 1,400 users was compromised by spyware — Pegasus. Overall, 121 Indian users were reportedly hacked — of which two dozen were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-confirms-indian-activists-and-journalists-were-hacked-as-nso-claims-its-contractually-prohibited/articleshow/71831583.cms">activists, journalists and lawyers</a>. None of them have come forward to file their own FIRs yet. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="gautambhatia88" handlename="Gautam Bhatia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/898610250181361664/2CoNa01q_normal.jpg" favoritecount="144" retweetcount="55" status="Among those targeted by the surveillance are human rights defenders, many of whom are lawyers. They have the locus… https://t.co/JXiL3XmBsB" createdat="1572877896000" id="1191362362009362432"></div>





 Some people believe that it’s not a strong case to begin with. “This is a case that is just asking for the government to come to court and shout “national security”+”sealed cover” as they have been known to do at the drop of a hat,” tweeted Bhatia. In January 2006, Amar Singh — a politician — filed a petition with the Supreme Court that his <a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/06flip.htm">phones were being tapped</a>. At the time, the Supreme Court barred the media from publishing any excerpts from these leaks. Five years later, the case was dismissed stating that Singh suppressed facts relevant to the case. In 2008, the government authorised the tax department to <a href="https://freespeechdebate.com/discuss/the-nira-radia-tapes-controversy-and-the-right-to-privacy/">tap Nira Radia</a>, a corporate lobbyist, for 120 days. In May 2009, that time frame was extended by another 120 days. Parts of these tapes were then leaked to the media — including excerpts that including details of the 2G scam. Rata Tata, then chairman of the Tata Group, along with NGO Center for Public Interest Litigation, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Supreme-Court-to-examine-Ratan-Tatas-petition-on-Niira-Radia-tapes/article15579055.ece">filed a petition</a> to restrict the circulation of these tapes because it violated his right to privacy. That petition is still pending judgement. “It is a collusive litigation initiated by #govindacharya. Strategy being, file a weak case hovering round frivolous irrelevant averments so as to ensure its dismissal by court. The dismissal can then be quoted by the wrongdoers as 'vindication of their innocence',” tweeted former civil servant, NN Ojha.

Investigating the WhatsApp hack  — Parliament probe might trump the judiciary

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty ImagesA Saudi-linked agent has been found installing spyware on smartphones belonging to the kingdom's critics. Here, Saudi soldiers monitor screens during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the country.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Saudi agents are reportedly installing spyware on people's smartphones to crack down on critics living abroad.</li><li>At least one Saudi critic was targeted by Israeli cyberintelligence firm NSO Group's Pegasus spyware software, which enables hackers to access messages, photos, microphone, and camera, researchers at Toronto's Citizen Lab reported this week.</li><li>That critic was identified as outspoken Saudi critic and personality Omar Abdulaziz.</li></ul><ul class="summary-list"><li>Abdulaziz told Business Insider he had no idea he was being spied on until Citizen Lab reached out, but has noticed suspicious messages discussing intimate details of his romantic life.</li><li>The 27-year-old said the Saudi government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-refugee-activist-family-arrested-saudi-arabia-feud-2018-8">arrested two of his brothers and several of his friends back home in Saudi Arabia</a> due to his activism, and he has not heard from them since.</li></ul>Saudi agents are reportedly secretly installing spyware on people's smartphones to crack down on critics living abroad.At least one critic of the kingdom had his smartphone targeted by Israeli cyberintelligence firm NSO Group's Pegasus spyware software, which enables hackers to gain access to messages, photos, emails, microphone, and camera, <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2018/10/the-kingdom-came-to-canada-how-saudi-linked-digital-espionage-reached-canadian-soil/">according to a new report from Citizen Lab</a>, a Toronto information and technology lab.The report's authors assessed with "high confidence" that outspoken Saudi critic and YouTuber <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/canadian-refugee-activist-family-arrested-saudi-arabia-feud-2018-8">Omar Abdulaziz</a> was targeted with the spyware in June.Abdulaziz's device got infected after he clicked on a link purportedly sent from the courier company DHL, the report said. He had made a purchase on Amazon earlier and later received a text message from DHL explaining that a package was due to be shipped, the report said.But the message instead linked to a website that, according to Citizen Lab, had been identified as a known Pegasus exploit domain, and clicking on the link resulted in the infection of the software onto his phone.<h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar6pseY40b8&amp;index=6&amp;list=PLSdhKlV-V_NQKhP5Y7zUlR4xBDDj25n6g">Screenshot/Youtube</a>Prominent Saudi critic Omar Abdulaziz had his smartphone infected by spyware, Citizen Lab said.</div></div></div></h2><h2>How the lab figured out Abdulaziz was being targeted</h2>Citizen Lab concluded the Abdulaziz was a target because someone using a consumer and university Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Quebec, Canada, found an infection by the Saudi-linked agent.The lab then contacted the Saudi diaspora in Quebec and determined that Abdulaziz, a student at the city's Bishop's University, best fit the description.By corroborating his movements and the suspicious DHL message on his phone, the lab concluded with "high confidence" that he was likely the target of the malicious attack.Citizen Lab said they were drawn to investigate Abdulaziz after <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2018/09/hide-and-seek-tracking-nso-groups-pegasus-spyware-to-operations-in-45-countries/">publishing research in September</a> on Pegasus spyware being used in operations in 45 countries.The lab found that one Pegasus operator appeared to be acting in the interest of Saudi Arabia in a series of complex overseas operations, and actively monitoring targets in countries like Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, France, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Turkey and the UK.One of the targets earlier this year appeared to be London-based Saudi dissident and Amnesty International researcher named Yahya Assiri, the September report said.<h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ShutterstockThe University of Toronto, where Citizen Lab is based.</div></div></div> </h2><h2>Abdulaziz had no idea he was being spied on until Citizen Lab reached out </h2>Abdulaziz first moved from Saudi Arabia to Canada as a student, and became actively involved in political commentary online. He says he decided to apply for political asylum in 2014 because he felt that his outspoken criticism of the government posed risks back home.According to the 27-year-old, who hosts a popular satirical news program on YouTube, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-refugee-activist-family-arrested-saudi-arabia-feud-2018-8">the government arrested two of his brothers and several of his friends back home in Saudi Arabia</a> in August in response to his activism.He said he did not suspect his phone was being monitored until Citizen Lab reached out to corroborate its hypothesis."When they [Citizen Lab] reached out I figured that someone must have been listening to me and reading the conversations between me and my friends and my brothers," he told Business Insider. "Some of them were arrested, and I'm sure hackers had access to everything on my phone."Abdulaziz also says he began receiving messages from unknown Twitter and Snapchat accounts in the past month discussing intimate details about his personal and romantic life, which he had not discussed publicly.He says he still uses the same phone, but doesn't discuss personal matters with anyone in Saudi Arabia."Now I'm okay, but I'm still concerned about the safety and security of my brothers and friends, many of whom I haven't heard from since they disappeared," he added. "We haven't received any news about them and I don't know if they're okay." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ray-dalio-bridgewater-debt-crisis-downturn-coming-about-two-years-2018-9">Ray Dalio says the economy looks like 1937 and a downturn is coming in about two years</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Saudi agents are reportedly secretly installing spyware onto people's phones to track critics abroad

<ul><li>Indian external affairs minister <keyword id="3006063" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Subrahmanyan-Jaishankar">Subrahmanyan Jaishankar</keyword> explained why the <keyword id="6374106" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-external-affairs">Ministry of External Affairs</keyword> (MEA) needs its own new, emerging and strategic technologies (NEST) division. </li><li>As a stakeholder in national security, MEA must monitor cyber threats as well. </li><li>While the nature of technology may not be strategic, it can become so in the hands of a strategic player. </li></ul>Technology is no longer just about economics — it dictates a country's cyber might and leads to fears of governments spying on each other. However, the strategic importance of technology depends on a number of different factors, according to External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar. Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2020, Jaishankar explained why the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) needs a separate division to monitor emerging technology. “It is no longer realistic to deal with technology as economics, which used to be an old fashioned way around 20-30 years ago. Today technology is very strategic,” he said. The question of national security Cyberthreats are on the rise. Threat intelligence company Group-IB found that cyberspace was increasingly weaponised in 2019. Their report found that cyber weapons were used to carry out numerous military operations last year. In addition, the number of state-sponsored attackers is on the rise. Jaishankar believes that since the MEA is a stakeholder in national security, it’s only logical that it should oversee technology that could pose a potential threat. “There are technologies that are strategic in nature and it’s important for a ministry that analyses foreign affairs, which contributes to national security, to have a set of people who are competent, trained and focused to analyse those strategically relevant technologies,” explained Jaishankar. His concerns seem valid in light of Lazarus — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/heres-why-north-korean-hackers-attacked-indias-nuclear-power-plant/articleshow/72035492.cms">hackers based out of North Korea</a> — targeting Indian government institutions like the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-nuclear-plant-hack-is-only-one-small-part-of-a-much-bigger-operation-according-to-a-cybersecurity-expert/articleshow/72033253.cms">KNPP</a>) in November last year. However, Group IB finds that two of seven new cyber-espionage groups in 2019 — BITTER and Sidewinder — were state-sponsored hackers based out of India. The strategic importance of technology varies Most people believe that technology which circumvents consent — like Pegasus spyware infiltrating WhatsApp accounts — are the biggest threats to national security due to their predatory nature. While that may be the primary determinant, Jaishankar feels technology can also become strategic on the basis of who’s using it. “There are technologies, which in the hands of strategic players, becomes strategic technology. Some of it is the nature of technology, some of it is the user of technology, deployment of technology and the intent of technology,” he said. So far, MEA’s new, emerging and strategic technologies (NEST) division said that it will monitor the implementation of 5G and artificial intelligence (AI). Its mandate, however, extends to developing India’s external technology policy in line with national security goals. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/cloud-5g-and-wetware-attacks-the-5-biggest-cybersecurity-threats-of-2020/articleshow/73054612.cms">Cloud, 5G and 'wetware' attacks — the 5 biggest cybersecurity threats of 2020</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/rbis-new-cybersecurity-guidelines-are-pushing-indias-1574-urban-cooperative-banks-to-bring-digital-services-up-to-snuff/articleshow/72381380.cms">RBI's new cybersecurity guidelines are pushing India's 1,574 urban cooperative banks to bring digital services up to snuff</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-nuclear-plant-hack-is-only-one-small-part-of-a-much-bigger-operation-according-to-a-cybersecurity-expert/articleshow/72033253.cms">Indian nuclear plant hack is only one small part of a much 'bigger' operation, according to a cybersecurity expert</a>

India’s foreign minister explains why the MEA needs a separate division to monitor emerging technology

<ul><li>Neeraj Arora and Michael Donohue, two of <keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword>’s earliest employees, have launched a new private social network.</li><li>Named the <keyword id="11677784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="halloapp">HalloApp</keyword>, the company promises that it will always be ad-free, algorithm-free and all messages are encrypted by default.</li><li>HalloApp is available for download from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.</li></ul>At a time when gaining wide reach on social networks is commonplace, having a private social network might seem contrary to what people want. And yet, two of WhatsApp’s earliest employees have gone ahead and launched just that, a private social network called HalloApp. HalloApp is now available to download and install on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/halloapp/id1501583052">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.halloapp">Android devices</a>. From early impressions, it seems to be a mix of the now-defunct Path app and WhatsApp – HalloApp draws inspiration from Path when it comes to the “private social network” part, and from WhatsApp, when it comes to adding and chatting with friends – the only way you can find people is by having their phone number. As an added bonus, the app does not have any ads and all messages are encrypted by default. The two employees behind the app are Neeraj Arora and Michael Donohue. Both Arora and Donohue were with WhatsApp before and after the Facebook acquisition. While Arora was with the company until 2018, Donohue left in 2019. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Social media has turned into a ‘digital mall’, says Arora" comment="subhead" text="Social media has turned into a ‘digital mall’, says Arora">Social media has turned into a ‘digital mall’, says Arora</cmsannotation> Our social media feeds have become algorithm-driven – this applies to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but more so for the latter two, as Twitter gives an option to switch to a chronological timeline. Even YouTube’s recommended videos are <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/how-youtubes-algorithm-really-works/575212/">tuned by algorithms</a>, with “Where you hoped to have meaningful conversations, instead you found yourself falling down the rabbit hole of blinking red notifications and an algorithmic feed of meaningless content,” Arora said in a <a href="https://halloapp.com/blog/real-relationship-network/">blog post</a>, highlighting the pitfalls of algorithm-driven feeds. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Getting to know HalloApp" comment="subhead" text="Getting to know HalloApp">Getting to know HalloApp</cmsannotation> HalloApp’s interface is pretty simple – and by some extent, barebones, right now. The app is divided into three tabs – the Home feed, groups and chats. The Home feed is where posts from your friends and family show up. Arora describes it as such, taking aim at virtually most of the major social networks out there: “No ads. No bots. No likes. No trolls. No followers. No algorithms. No influencers. No photo filters. No “feed fatigue.” No misinformation spreading like wildfire.” He also goes ahead to explain that the company will eventually offer additional features in the app at a small cost. Groups and chats are self-explanatory. Right now, the chats screen shows the people are who have signed up on HalloApp. It will be interesting to see if HalloApp gains traction at a time when the Pegasus spyware has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apples-iphone-has-a-major-blinking-red-five-alarm-fire-problem-with-imessage-security-according-to-a-cybersecurity-researcher/articleshow/84555122.cms">reportedly used with iMessage</a> and WhatsApp as two of the several attack vectors. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-among-top-three-countries-facing-phishing-attacks-via-whatsapp-and-telegram-reveals-report/articleshow/84401513.cms">India among top three countries facing phishing attacks via WhatsApp and Telegram, reveals report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/youtube-shorts-begins-rolling-out-globally-as-it-looks-to-catch-up-with-tiktok/articleshow/84376695.cms">YouTube Shorts begins rolling out globally as it looks to catch up with TikTok</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/photo-editing-and-app-lock-features-android-apps-caught-stealing-users-facebook-passwords/articleshow/84136996.cms">Android apps with over 5.8 million downloads caught stealing users’ Facebook passwords</a>

Two of WhatsApp's earliest employees have launched a private, ad-free social network

<ul><li>The phone of Amazon founder and CEO <keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword> was reportedly hacked and the Saudi crown prince might have been behind it.</li><li><keyword id="2891386" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Check-Point-Software">Check Point Software</keyword>, the company that has reported on the vulnerabilities of Whatsapp, tells Business Insider that tens of millions of phones are being backed on a daily basis. </li><li>There's currently an ongoing arms race going on between hackers, governments and tech companies over cyber vulnerabilities.</li></ul>Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was the victim of a malware attack. A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/un-investigators-just-backed-bombshell-claims-that-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-hacked-jeff-bezos-phone/amp_articleshow/73524987.cms">UN report now suggests</a> with ‘reasonable certainty' that the Saudi crown prince — Mohammed bin Salman — might have been behind it. This is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/jeff-bezos-intimate-messages-data-from-drug-cartels-adnan-kashoggi-the-many-things-pegasus-is-suspected-of-hacking-before-whatsapp/articleshow/71849602.cms">only one example</a> of governments around the world are shelling out billions of dollars for hackers to find vulnerabilities on social networking platforms. <a href="https://blog.checkpoint.com/2017/03/15/check-point-discloses-vulnerability-whatsapp-telegram/">Check Point Software</a> — the company that has reported vulnerabilities with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/heres-why-facebook-is-suing-the-nso-group-over-the-whatsapp-hack/articleshow/71814518.cms">WhatsApp</a> and TikTok— tells Business Insider that ‘tens of millions' of phones are being hacked on a daily basis around the world. And, many can still go undetected. "Our database shows that tens of millions of cybersecurity incidents happen globally on a daily basis. Some threats, like cryptominers, operate quietly and are hard to detect," explains Oded Vanunu, head of products vulnerability at Check Point. Jeff Bezos' hack made the headlines because he's a prominent personality worth billions of dollars. "Attackers can hack into anyone's phone whether or not they are in the public eye. The only reason why we hear of cases involving personalities is because they are famous," said Vanunu. It's an arms race between hackers, the government and tech companies Not one is safe from being hacked, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-hacker-pegasus-spyware-attacked-100-others/articleshow/71851228.cms">not using WhatsApp</a> isn't exactly a solution. Even if you were to go off the platform, hackers would just try and exploit other vulnerabilities to gain access to your phone. "Hackers attack based on general phone use habits – like the tendency to click on a link or a video – to inject malware into phones in order to gain access to confidential data. There are security softwares and tools that can help protect one's mobile phone from such an attack," warns Vanunu. According to him, It's a race of good forces — the cyber industry — that try to uncover such scenarios versus bad forces — government or offensive companies — with multi-million dollar budget to find vulnerabilities on these platforms to exploit. Jeff Bezos' phone getting hacked is one example of how cyber vulnerabilities can be weaponised to install spyware and take control of devices. "The battle between bad actors and governments or tech firms is like an ongoing arms race. The challenge that most organizations and governments face today is using 3rd generation security technology that is at least 10 years old to protect themselves against current-day threats — 5th and 6th generations of attacks," said Vanunu. And, these threats are only set to grow. Over the next five years, attacks are set to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-nuclear-plant-hack-is-only-one-small-part-of-a-much-bigger-operation-according-to-a-cybersecurity-expert/articleshow/72033253.cms">escalate and become more aggressive. </a> As a user, Vanunu advises that rather than try and go off-the-grid, it's important to make sure that you have the right tools to protect your devices. Ensure that you install every update as soon as it's released and avoid clicking on suspicious links just because they have clickbaity headlines. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-confirms-indian-activists-and-journalists-were-hacked-as-nso-claims-its-contractually-prohibited/articleshow/71831583.cms">WhatsApp confirms Indian activists and journalists were hacked as NSO claims it's 'contractually prohibited'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/jeff-bezos-intimate-messages-data-from-drug-cartels-adnan-kashoggi-the-many-things-pegasus-is-suspected-of-hacking-before-whatsapp/articleshow/71849602.cms">Jeff Bezos' intimate messages, data from drug cartels, Jamal Kashoggi — the many things Pegasus is suspected of hacking before WhatsApp</a> <a href="http://businessinsider.in/tech/news/saudi-arabia-denied-hacking-into-jeff-bezos-phone-and-called-for-an-investigation-into-the-absurd-claims/amp_articleshow/73519935.cms">Saudi Arabia denied hacking into Jeff Bezos' phone and called for an investigation into the 'absurd' claims</a>

You Searched For "pegasus spyware explained" and got 7 results

Simply put, the charge on the Modi government is that it lied to the Parliament about buying Pegasus spyware and it must respond

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Israeli spyware used to hack phones of dozens of Al Jazeera journalists

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Investigating the WhatsApp hack — Parliament probe might trump the judiciary

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Saudi agents are reportedly secretly installing spyware onto people's phones to track critics abroad

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India’s foreign minister explains why the MEA needs a separate division to monitor emerging technology

Prabhjote Gill

Two of WhatsApp's earliest employees have launched a private, ad-free social network

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Jeff Bezos phone hack shows hackers are winning in the 'arms race' between governments and tech firms according to a cybersecurity expert

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