Many leaders of the NSCN-IM were added to a list of numbers believed to be generated by an Indian client of an Israeli spyware company ‘Pegasus’, The Wire reported on July 21.
Other NSCN-Isak Muivah leaders included in the list found on a leaked database of targets are Apam Muivah, Anthony Shimray and Phunthing Shimrang. Also, Kitovi Zhimomi, a key Naga civil society leader, was also on the list.
The Naga leaders were targeted for surveillance less than two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a ‘historic’ agreement for peace with NSCN-Isak Muivah.
According to the report, Th. Muivah’s successor Atem Vashum attracted interest in mid-2017 as a potential target for surveillance by a client of the Israel-based NSO group. Following this, Muivah’s nephew Apam Muivah was added to the list and their phone numbers were kept under surveillance, says the website citing leaked data.
In the leaked records in late 2017, two phone numbers of commander-in-chief of the Naga Army of NSCN (I-M) — Anthony Ningkhang Shimray — also appeared on the surveillance list that was leaked. Apart from these, the phone numbers of the former commander-in-chief of the NSCN (I-M)’s Naga Army Phunthing Shimrang, and NNPG convener N. Kitovi Zhimomi appear towards the first half of 2019.
The timing of alleged surveillance on the Naga leaders’ phone numbers by the client of the Israel-based NSO group dates back to mid-2017.
While Anthony Shimray’s phone numbers appear on the list at the end of 2017, NNPG convenor N. Kitovi Zhimomi appears on the list in mid-2019.
What is Pegasus spyware?
Pegasus spyware is a surveillance software created by Israeli cyber intelligence firm NSO Group. This firm is known to build sophisticated software and technology for selling solely to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments for the sole purpose of saving lives through preventing crime and terror acts, as claimed by the company. Pegasus is one such software that is created to gain access to your phone without consent and gather personal and sensitive information and deliver it to the user that is spying on you.
What can it do?
According to Kaspersky, Pegasus spyware is able to read the victim’s SMS messages and emails, listen to calls, take screenshots, record keystrokes, and access contacts and browser history. Another report corroborates that a hacker can hijack the phone’s microphone and camera, turning it into a real-time surveillance device. It is also worth noting that Pegasus is a rather complex and expensive malware, designed to spy on individuals of particular interest, so the average user is unlikely to encounter it.