Pegasus software has accessed the phones of at least 35 journalists in El Salvador

A new report revealed that the Israeli Pegasus spyware has hacked the phones of at least 35 journalists and other citizens in El Salvador during a hack attack on news outlet El Faro and other targets in the country.

The report released on Wednesday by cybersecurity watchdogs Citizen Lab and Access Now comes nearly two months after the US government added NSO Group, the Israeli firm that manufactures Pegasus, to its black list of companies engaging in activities that are contrary to the US government's national security or foreign policy interests.

Hacking journalists

According to the report, the hacking occurred between July 2020 and November 2021, when news outlets were "reporting on sensitive issues involving President Bukele's administration," such as allegations that the government negotiated a "'pact' with the MS-13 gang for a reduction in violence and electoral support." (This is denied by the government.)

Other targets included "GatoEncerrado, La Prensa Gráfica, Revista Digital Disruptiva, Diario El Mundo, El Diario de Hoy, and two independent journalists," the report added.

It is worth mentioning that Pro-democracy and human rights organizations were among the three nongovernmental organizations targeted, according to the report.

On its account, NSO has unsurprisingly denied reports that its software has been used to spy on journalists, human rights activists, and possibly world leaders by governments all over the world.

Made in “Israel”

To no one's surprise, the mastermind behind this hacking software is no other than the Israeli firm NSO Group which has been in the spotlight for months, with dissidents, journalists, and other figures saying that their repressive governments have utilized the company's technology to spy on them.