New information reveals that the “Pegasus Database” leak includes the phone number of several world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron
The recent “Pegasus Database” leak included the personal mobile phone numbers of 13 world leaders. The data leak also included the details of diplomats, military chiefs and senior politicians from 34 countries.
Affected leaders include the French President, South African President and Pakistani Prime Minister.
The Israeli spyware company NSO group sells the Pegasus hacking software behind the attack.
The group originally created the software to monitor criminals and terrorist groups around the world.
NSO says that the fact these mobile numbers were included in the database doesn’t indicate the occurrence of hacking. It does however, reveal that government clients of NSO identified these targets as people of interest.
NSO insists Pegasus software is only for investigations into crime and terror
Which world leaders are affected?
An investigation by The Guardian put together the following list of targeted world leaders:
- Rwanda targeted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019
- Morocco targeted French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019
- Morocco targeted World Health Organisation’s Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in 2019
- United Arab Emirates targeted prime minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri in 2018 and 2019
- Morocco targeted the prime minister of Belgium and president of the European council, Charles Michel, in 2019
- Security forces in Morocco targeted their own King Mohammed VI of Morocco in 2019
- Security forces in Morocco also targeted their own prime minister Saadeddine Othmani in 2018 and 2019
- India targeted prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan in 2019
- An unknown Mexican client targeted former president of Mexico Felipe Calderón in 2016 and 2017 when his wife was running for the top job
- Morocco targeted American diplomat Robert Malley in 2019. Malley was a chief negotiator on the US-Iran deal
