Pegasus spyware attacks in Mexico continued under Lopez Obrador

3/10/2022 11:35

        Phones of at least three human rights investigators in Mexico were infected with Pegasus during the term of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador despite
        his goverment's assertions that it would stop using the controversial spyware, a report on Sunday found.
        
        Lopez Obrador, who took office in late 2018, vowed to halt the use of the technology after a scandal erupted around its deployment during the presidency of his predecessor.
        
        The spyware, which can be used to remotely break into phones, providing access into their memory or turning them into recording devices, is typically only sold to governments and law enforcement.
        
        Researchers at Citizen Lab, a digital watchdog group at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, analyzed phones belonging to two journalists and a human rights activist, detecting the devices had been infected between 2019 and 2021 with Pegasus, which belongs to Israeli spyware firm NSO Group.