Israeli software company NSO Group is the center of a new controversy regarding breaking through smartphone and other secure devices. Reports claim that NSO Group is accepting contracts from different government agencies to hack iPhone or Android devices for a fee.
The controversy was first reported by The New York Times and it revealed that NSO Group charges $650,000 to exploit or hack a group of 10 devices, be that an iPhone or Android. The group also charges a $500,000 setup fee.
For agencies or organizations willing to pay that amount, NSO Group can give them complete access to these hacked devices. Among the exploits NSO can create allow hackers to take screenshots, track GPS locations, and capture keyboard stokes.
In terms of surveillance capabilities, the NSO Group can even tap the phone's microphones and record nearby sounds. Experts believe that NSO Group is just one of the many firms that offer such services. Security experts fear that with tech companies upgrading their security and encryption protocols, governments and some intelligence institutions are relying more into firms like NSO Group.
According to Engadget, NSO Group has a proprietary software capable of tracking not only Android and iPhones, but also older Symbian phones and Blackberry devices. NSO Group charges $500,000 to hack five Blackberry phones, and $300,000 for hacking five phones running on the Symbian operating system.
The software is called Pegasus and can bypass stringent encryption protocols by having the software installed into public Wi-Fi hotspots, customized texts or emails, in-person, or a process called "over the air stealth installation."
In August, human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor broke NSO Group's modus into the public. Security researchers working on one of the exploit used by NSO found out that the group is trying to hack into iPhones by exploiting three unpatched bugs deep in the iOS operating system. Apple has since fixed the issue.
An NSO Group spokesperson said that the firm only sells its technology to authorized governments in aid of criminal investigations. Despite this, the New York Times report claims that NSO has not refused to sell its technology to any interested government.