Military-grade spyware developed by Israeli cyber-surveillance company NSO Group has been used to successfully hack the smartphones of journalists, politicians, activists and business leaders, an investigation by a consortium of international media outlets said Sunday.
Using a leaked list of more than 50,000 cell phone numbers, journalists at 17 media outlets identified over 1,000 people across more than 50 countries who were selected as potential targets by NSO Group’s clients. They include more than 180 journalists from outlets including CNN, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, according to the media probe, which was published in coordination with Paris-based nonprofit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International.
