Now that we are facing an obvious exposure to spyware, you are probably wondering if your iPhone or Android can be infected with Pegasus, although the quick answer would be yes, it is not so easy to be sure. There are a series of implications that you should know depending on the type of mobile you have, whether it is an iOS or an Android.
The truth is that after learning that the cell phones of Pedro Sánchez and Margarita Robles were being spied on with the Pegasus malware, everyone wonders if any smartphone is exposed. Although until now there has always been talk of the great security of Apple terminals, the truth is that they are also vulnerable to an attack of this type, with the software developed by the Israeli company NSO Group Technologies.
Your Android may be infected with Pegasus
Yes, it does not seem to be a novelty and especially since Android terminals are the most exposed due to the construction of its own open operating system. Certainly, Pegasus spyware was not designed with the goal of spying on people and using it as a method of cyber attacks, but as a tool for governments and official agencies to combat terrorism.
However, Pegasus is a virus that installs itself on the operating system and gives control over the camera and microphone to the sender . In addition, it allows you to record audio, video, take pictures, but also scan emails, messaging and even indicate the geographical location of the device.
Pegasus has a very easy way to send itself to your phone, it only needs one call, but the worst thing is that you don’t even need to answer it. In fact, in 2019, Pegasus managed to exploit a WhatsApp vulnerability that allowed the infection to spread to thousands of phones within 48 hours, with a global alert, so messaging is also a method of infection on your Android.
The iPhone also gets infected with Pegasus
It is not true that your iPhone is impenetrable and has been exposed. The technical answer is that Pegasus spyware has zero-day exploits that can jailbreak a device, but more dangerously, it leaves no trace. These are flaws in the security of the operating system that open a back door to attacks, but the manufacturer itself is unaware of them.
These bugs, instead of being loudly announced to be corrected, are sold for large sums of money on the black market. These bugs are usually present on non-updated devices and are the ones that allow Pegasus to access the iPhone, and then multiply.
However, you must be calm, because it is not something overcrowded to steal your credit card, nor to take over your social networks. These types of attacks are specifically aimed at infecting a specific device, be it Android or, in this case, an iPhone, since the cost per unit can reach 100,000 euros.
In Apple there is a mainly known bug and it is the one that attacks directly through iMessage. Pegasus has the ability to attack the iPhone’s messaging app and thus proceed to install itself on the operating system, through an instance of WebKit. Another known vulnerability is Kismet, also through iMessage.
But these security gaps have been gradually closed by Apple, so the manufacturer’s own recommendation is to keep the operating system completely updated , so that any attack of this type can be avoided.
