Dozens of Al Jazeera Journalists Say They Were Hacked By ‘Israeli’ Firm’s Spyware

In a stunning new report, researchers at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said they discovered what appears to be a major espionage campaign against the leading Doha-based media organization.

The report, written by some of the world’s top digital surveillance researchers, also raises troubling new questions about the apparent vulnerability of the Apple iPhone, which has sought to promote a reputation for security and commitment to privacy.

Researchers at Citizen Lab said the apparent malicious code they discovered, which they claim is used by clients of ‘Israeli’ NSO Group, made “almost all” iPhone devices vulnerable if users were using an operating system that pre-dated Apple’s iOS 14 system, which appears to have fixed the vulnerability.

NSO Group, whose spyware has been used in previous surveillance campaigns in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, claimed that its software is only meant to be used by government clients to track down terrorists and criminals.

But the new allegation by Citizen Lab marks the latest in a long line of alleged human rights violations involving the company’s software on behalf of its clients, including the alleged targeting of journalists in Morocco, political dissidents from Rwanda, politicians in Spain, and pro-democracy clergy in Togo.