News agency Reuters has claimed that an attempt has been made to hack the phone of an Indian journalist reporting on the Adani scam through Pegasus.
अडानी घोटाले की रिपोर्टिंग से जुड़े भारतीय पत्रकार आनंद मगनाले का फोन पेगासस के निशाने पर: रिपोर्ट
Indian journalist Anand Magnale, associated with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which investigated the Adani scam, is being monitored by Israeli spying software Pegasus. News agency Reuters has given news in this regard. According to this report, forensic analysis of Anand Maganale’s phone (iPhone) has revealed that an attempt was made to hack his phone in the month of August.
Let us tell you that even before this, an attempt was made to hack the phones of many Indian journalists and opposition leaders through Pegasus and the investigation of the matter had reached the Supreme Court. It is noteworthy that this software is made by an Israeli company and sells it only to the governments of different countries, so that they can fight terrorism and crimes. But the way this software is being used on journalists and opposition leaders has raised concerns. This not only raises the issue of national security but also the need for changes in IT rules is being felt.
Keep in mind that only last week Apple had sent an alert to all its phone customers that their phones could be controlled by government sponsored hackers. Most of those who received the alert were Indian opposition leaders. However, after receiving the alert, it has been confirmed that any government agency was involved in this or any spyware was found. The government has rejected these allegations and said that the matter is being investigated.
In the case of Anand Maganale, OCCRP co-founder Drew Sullivan has been quoted by Reuters as saying that a pattern has been found in the repeated crashing of Maganale’s phone. This pattern matches that of Pegasus. The government has not yet given any response in this matter.
Keep in mind that Pegasus software can record phone calls, read messages and, in a way, turn it into a device for itself, whose phones are its target.
Drew Sullivan has said that, “Governments that are monitoring reports and journalists’ phones have no justification for doing so except to gain political advantage…” Meanwhile, after doing forensic analysis of Maganale’s phone, the agency iVerify has said that an attempt has been made to hack Maganale’s phone through Pegasus.
This latest case of phone hacking and surveillance highlights the challenges associated with surveillance technologies and raises concerns about their potential misuse for political purposes. Recall that in July 2021, an investigation by a group of 17 media organizations and Amnesty International revealed that Pegasus spyware was used for unauthorized surveillance of journalists, activists and leaders around the world, including India.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnav and Prahlad Singh Patel, industrialist Anil Ambani and former Central Bureau of Investigation director Alok Verma were all possible targets.
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