Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

El Salvador journalists and activists hacked with spyware, report says

El Salvador journalists and activists hacked with spyware, report says

Dozens of journalists and activists in El Salvador have had their phones hacked with the spyware Pegasus, which has been used by governments to monitor critics and dissidents, a report says.

Researchers said most of those targeted work at the El Faro news outlet, which has reported on alleged secret talks between the government and gangs.

They could not prove who was behind the hack, but said evidence pointed to government involvement.

The government has denied this.

Pegasus, which was designed by the Israeli company NSO Group, infects iPhones and Android devices, allowing operators to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones and cameras.

The investigation into the El Salvador hack was carried out by the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now. They said they had found evidence of incursions on 37 devices belonging to 35 individuals between July 2020 and November 2021.

Those who were allegedly hacked work at three human rights groups and six news publications, and one is an independent journalist. Amnesty International's Security Lab independently confirmed the findings.

The main target was El Faro, the country's leading independent news outlet, which had 22 people hacked including reporters and editors. That amounts to more than half of its staff. The report said it had evidence that data had been stolen from many of the devices affected.

The alleged hacks coincided with reports the outlet published about scandals involving President Nayib Bukele's administration, including allegations that the government secretly negotiated with gang leaders in prison in order to reduce the levels of crime. The government denied the claims.

Carlos Martínez, an investigative journalist who wrote those reports, said hackers had spent 269 days inside his phone. "For 269 days they invaded my privacy," he said on Twitter.

The revelations also come amid an increasingly hostile environment for media and rights groups under President Bukele, a populist who enjoys high approval ratings and often rails against his critics in the press.

El Faro's editor-in-chief Oscar Martínez had his phone infiltrated at least 42 times, according to Citizen Lab.

"It is hard for me to think or conclude something other than the government of El Salvador" was behind the alleged hacks, Mr Martínez was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. "It's evident that there is a radical interest in understanding what El Faro is doing."

Citizen Lab said it could not conclusively say who was behind the deployment of the spyware but that there was "circumstantial evidence pointing to a strong El Salvador government nexus".

John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab and an author of the report, told the Associated Press that the "aggressiveness and persistence of the hacking was jaw-dropping".

"What was especially disturbing in this case was its juxtaposition with the physical threats and violent language against the media in El Salvador," he said. "This is the kind of thing that perhaps wouldn't surprise you in a dictatorship but at least on paper El Salvador is a democracy."

Sofía Medina, a spokeswoman for President Bukele, said in a statement that "El Salvador is no way associated with Pegasus and nor is a client of NSO Group", and that the government was investigating the possible use of the spyware in the country.

The allegations are the latest to hit NSO, which was blacklisted by the US government last year amid allegations that its spyware was being used by repressive governments to hack innocent people, including activists, politicians and journalists.

NSO said in a statement that it sold its products only to legitimate intelligence and law enforcement agencies for use against terrorists and criminals, and that it did not know who the targets of its customers were. The company declined to comment on whether El Salvador was a Pegasus customer.



What’s it like to have spyware on your phone?


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×