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For 3 years, the territorial conflict has become a reason for spying on citizens.
In recent weeks, Armenian citizens have been receiving alarming notifications from Apple Corporation: their smartphones could be attacked by hackers acting on behalf of the state. According to experts in the field of cybersecurity, such attacks are most likely related to the use of Israeli spyware software Pegasus.
According to the organization CyberHUB, which deals with digital rights in Armenia, we are talking about the infection of smartphones with Pegasus – a tracking tool that the Israeli company NSO Group developed for sale to government agencies around the world. Although Apple did not disclose details about the type of spyware and possible culprits of the attacks, analysts believe that the latest wave of incidents is related to Pegasus.
Apple Notification
The non-profit human rights organization Access Now pointed out difficulties in determining the exact circumstances, since the investigation has not yet been completed. However, NSO Group declined to comment on the situation.
CyberHUB suggests that the Azerbaijani government is behind the installation of the spyware, recalling the 2020 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, when Pegasus was already used against Armenian citizens. Although there is no direct evidence of Azerbaijani interference, researchers from Citizen Lab have detected the activity of suspected Pegasus operators from Azerbaijan, which further fuels suspicions.
In the context of the ongoing tension between the two countries, aggravated by the military actions in September this year, CyberHUB reports an increase in the number of hacker attacks in Armenia. Access Now emphasizes that many victims prefer not to advertise the facts of invasion of their privacy, which complicates the assessment of the scale of the problem. Moreover, owners of Android-based devices do not receive such notifications, remaining unaware of possible threats. However, the facts indicate that the main targets in Armenia are politicians, activists, journalists and human rights defenders.
In recent weeks, Armenian citizens have been receiving alarming notifications from Apple Corporation: their smartphones could be attacked by hackers acting on behalf of the state. According to experts in the field of cybersecurity, such attacks are most likely related to the use of Israeli spyware software Pegasus.
According to the organization CyberHUB, which deals with digital rights in Armenia, we are talking about the infection of smartphones with Pegasus – a tracking tool that the Israeli company NSO Group developed for sale to government agencies around the world. Although Apple did not disclose details about the type of spyware and possible culprits of the attacks, analysts believe that the latest wave of incidents is related to Pegasus.
Apple Notification
The non-profit human rights organization Access Now pointed out difficulties in determining the exact circumstances, since the investigation has not yet been completed. However, NSO Group declined to comment on the situation.
CyberHUB suggests that the Azerbaijani government is behind the installation of the spyware, recalling the 2020 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, when Pegasus was already used against Armenian citizens. Although there is no direct evidence of Azerbaijani interference, researchers from Citizen Lab have detected the activity of suspected Pegasus operators from Azerbaijan, which further fuels suspicions.
In the context of the ongoing tension between the two countries, aggravated by the military actions in September this year, CyberHUB reports an increase in the number of hacker attacks in Armenia. Access Now emphasizes that many victims prefer not to advertise the facts of invasion of their privacy, which complicates the assessment of the scale of the problem. Moreover, owners of Android-based devices do not receive such notifications, remaining unaware of possible threats. However, the facts indicate that the main targets in Armenia are politicians, activists, journalists and human rights defenders.