Pegasus has been called the “most sophisticated” smartphone attack of all time. It gains remote access to iPhone and Android phones through exploits deep in the operating systems and can infect your phone through little more than a WhatsApp.
Once installed, the Israeli spyware can read your text messages, track calls and locations, steal your passwords, and even use your own microphone and camera to secretly record conversations. Last month it was dramatically revealed that the phones of hundreds of journalists, politicians and activists around the world had been infected, allowing rogue governments to spy on their every move.
It is clearly not something that you want to be lurking on your own smartphone. But how can you tell if your Android or iPhone is infected?
For iPhone users, there is now an easy way to find out – it may even already be installed on your computer. iMazing, popular file management software, just added a free tool that you can use to find out if Pegasus is infecting your devices.
The Spyware Detector tool will scan your phone for any telltale signs of spyware. It comes with iMazing’s existing software, which can be downloaded to your Mac or PC for free.
The company was inspired to develop the feature after Amnesty International released a similar tool that was more difficult to use.
While your phone is unlikely to have been attacked by Pegasus – unless you are a public or controversial figure, or even a criminal – it is still an easy way to calm yourself down completely.
Pegasus was first exposed in August 2016 when a human rights activist was targeted by a spam text. Experts examined the link in the message and determined that he may have hijacked his phone. Years after its discovery, Pegasus is still used by authoritarian governments and other NSO Group’s secret customers.
What scares researchers is the so-called “zero-click” attack. You don’t have to physically click anything to get it onto your device. For example, WhatsApp calls and iMessages can be vulnerable.
