ISLAMABAD: Israeli spyware was allegedly used to target mobile phones of at least two dozen Pakistani government officials earlier this year, the report said.
The technology that was used to target Pakistani officials is owned by the Israeli spyware company NSO group, said a british tabloid in its report.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that “scores of Pakistani senior defence and intelligence officials” were among those who could have been compromised.
The report said that hackers may have exploited vulnerability in WhatsApp that allowed them to access messages and data on phones.
Facebook, the parent company of WhatsApp, had filed a lawsuit against NSO in October. The breach was first discovered in May, 2019, the report further stated.
Pakistani officials have not publicly commented on the suspected breach. However, the government is trying to develop a local messaging application to protect its official data from hackers.
Dr. Arslan Khalid, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focal person on digital media, had told to an Arab media network in November that the authorities were trying to improve cyber security by developing a WhatsApp-like application for government officials, SAMAA reported.
“This local application will help us protect sensitive government data and other classified information from hostile spy agencies and hackers,” he was quoted as saying.
Read more: Army won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy in country: DG ISPR
