Investigation Reveals Pegasus Spyware Used to Hack Journalists and Lawyers in Jordan

Israeli-made Pegasus spyware was reportedly used in Jordan to target the cellphones of at least 30 individuals, including journalists, lawyers, human rights activists, and political activists, according to a report by digital rights group Access Now. The hacking, which took place from early 2020 to November 2021, allegedly involved spyware developed by Israel’s NSO Group. However, Access Now did not directly accuse the Jordanian government of being involved in the attacks.

Among the targeted individuals was Adam Coogle, the deputy director for the region at Human Rights Watch, who expressed difficulty in imagining anyone other than the Jordanian government having an interest in hacking the targeted individuals. The Jordanian government has not yet responded to the report.

This is not the first time that Pegasus spyware has been linked to Jordan. In a 2022 report, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab identified two operators of the spyware who were believed to be agents of the Jordanian government. Additionally, Axios had previously reported on negotiations between Jordan’s government and the NSO Group.

Access Now believes that the reported cases of Pegasus spyware use in Jordan are just the tip of the iceberg, with the actual number of victims likely being much higher. According to the organization, at least 30 out of 35 known targeted individuals were successfully hacked.

Citizen Lab confirmed most of the infections, with 21 victims choosing to remain anonymous due to the risk of reprisals. The remaining victims were identified by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International’s Security Lab, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

The NSO Group claims that it only sells its spyware to vetted intelligence and law enforcement agencies for use against terrorists and serious criminals. However, cybersecurity researchers have documented numerous cases of politically motivated abuse of the spyware in 45 countries, including Mexico, Thailand, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.

In response to the allegations, an NSO Group spokesperson stated that the company would neither confirm nor deny its clients’ identities but emphasized that it investigates any reports of spyware abuse.

The NSO Group has faced scrutiny from the US government, leading to its blacklisting in November 2021. Apple Inc. also sued the company, accusing its employees of creating a surveillance machinery that invites routine abuse.

In Jordan, the targets of the Pegasus spyware included senior researchers from Human Rights Watch, such as Adam Coogle and Hiba Zayadin. Both had received threat notifications from Apple, stating that state-sponsored attackers had attempted to compromise their iPhones.

Hala Ahed, a prominent Jordanian human rights lawyer known for defending women’s and workers’ rights, as well as prisoners of conscience, was also targeted by Pegasus twice. Access Now revealed that around half of the targeted individuals in Jordan were journalists or media workers.

One of the victims, Palestinian-American journalist Dauod Kuttab, experienced three instances of Pegasus hacks between February 2022 and September 2023. Kuttab emphasized the importance of not clicking on suspicious links in messages, as one of the hacks targeted him through this method.

Kuttab refrained from speculating on who might have targeted him but expressed concerns about the compromise of his sources and the violation of his privacy. He stated that regardless of the perpetrator, it is unacceptable for his personal and professional privacy to be invaded.