For years, people brushed off the idea that governments or foreign intelligence networks could break into the average person’s cellphone. That denial died the moment researchers around the world confirmed what insiders had warned about for more than a decade: powerful Israeli-built spyware, capable of turning your smartphone into a 24-hour surveillance device, has been deployed in dozens of countries — including right here in the United States. These programs were not created for everyday policing; they were designed as military-grade cyber weapons. Once they entered the global marketplace, the line between foreign intelligence, domestic security, and political spying became dangerously blurred.
The most infamous of these tools is Pegasus, created by the Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group. Pegasus doesn’t need you to click a link, download an app, or fall for a scam. It can enter your phone through a missed call, a message you never opened, or a software gap you didn’t even know existed. Once inside, it can monitor your calls, read your messages, turn on your camera and microphone, track your location, and access your photos and files without ever revealing itself. It is the closest thing to a digital ghost, capable of living inside your phone while you go about your day, completely unaware.
Pegasus is not the only Israeli program causing global concern. A newer system called Predator, developed by companies with Israeli cyber engineers, operates like a long-term surveillance parasite. Predator infects phones through poisoned links, fake app updates, social-media messages, or even compromised news articles. Once installed, it embeds itself so deeply inside the operating system that it becomes almost impossible to detect. Candiru, another Israeli spyware platform, takes a different approach and often enters devices through browser exploits or manipulated downloads. It is designed not only to spy on mobile phones but also to infiltrate laptops, tablets, and cloud accounts. Together, these programs represent an entire ecosystem of digital weapons that can quietly strip away a person’s privacy, undermine their rights, and expose their networks to whoever controls the software.
If this technology sounds like something a government would use only against terrorists, the global investigation known as The Pegasus Project proved otherwise. Journalists, political opponents, civil-rights activists, human-rights lawyers, heads of state, and even associates of the late Jamal Khashoggi were all found on targeting lists. In some countries, phones belonging to union leaders, student organizers, and opposition candidates were compromised. In others, even public-health officials were monitored. These programs were marketed as anti-terror tools but ended up being used to spy on critics, rivals, and inconvenient voices.
The most alarming part is this: you don’t have to be “important,” wealthy, or political. You only need to be connected to someone who is. In many cases, people were hacked simply because they communicated with or were related to a primary target. That means regular, everyday citizens — people who believe they have nothing to hide — can become collateral damage in a surveillance war they never signed up for. Your phone becomes valuable not because of who you are, but because of who sits in your contact list.
This is not science fiction. In 2025, the Associated Press confirmed that an Israeli-backed spyware system was used to target European journalists. WhatsApp successfully sued NSO Group for hacking accounts, and Meta won a major judgment after proving its platforms were exploited. Even the U.S. government placed NSO Group on a trade blacklist, acknowledging the national-security threat. When a federal government openly concedes that a foreign company’s spyware can compromise American devices, the public has no choice but to take it seriously.
If foreign spyware can infiltrate the phones of diplomats, CEOs, and senators, then it can infiltrate yours. And with every upgrade in AI and cyber-exploitation, these tools become more stealthy, more powerful, and more accessible to governments and private buyers. It no longer takes a nation-state to run a surveillance operation; all it takes is a contract, a budget, and a political motive.
This raises critical questions for Black communities. Who is watching our activists? Who is monitoring our journalists? Who is keeping tabs on our political movements, especially when we speak against corruption, police abuse, government failures, or foreign policy decisions? History already shows how often dissenting Black voices have been targeted — from COINTELPRO to modern digital monitoring. Now, the surveillance tools are stronger, cheaper, and harder to detect. A phone in your pocket today has more vulnerability than the wiretapped phone lines of the 1960s.
Protecting yourself isn’t about paranoia. It’s about awareness. It means keeping your phone updated, recognizing suspicious behavior, and understanding that cybersecurity is the new frontline of civil rights. This is especially true for independent Black media, organizers, and everyday citizens who rely on their phones for work, communication, and safety. A compromised device doesn’t just expose you — it exposes your movement, your strategy, and your community.
Israel may not be directly targeting you. NSO Group may not know your name. But the governments, agencies, or private actors who buy their spyware might. And if your phone becomes the weakest point of entry into a network of activists, journalists, or whistleblowers, you could be compromised without ever knowing it.
The age of digital weaponry is here. The question is not whether someone wants access to your phone — the question is whether the people who want it already have it.
References
1. The Pegasus Project – Forbidden Stories & Amnesty International
A global investigation confirming widespread use of Pegasus on journalists, activists, diplomats, and political figures.
https://forbiddenstories.org/pegasus-project
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/07/pegasus-project-exposing-spyware-abuse/
2. Citizen Lab – University of Toronto
Technical reports documenting Pegasus, Predator, and Candiru operations, infections, and global deployment.
https://citizenlab.ca/tag/pegasus/
https://citizenlab.ca/2021/07/candiru-dangerous-state-hackers/
https://citizenlab.ca/2023/12/predator-files/
3. Amnesty International Security Lab – Pegasus Forensic Methodology Report
Detailed forensic evidence of Pegasus infections on iPhone and Android devices.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/07/forensic-methodology-report-how-to-catch-pegasus/
4. The Washington Post – Pegasus Project Coverage
Report confirming Pegasus was used on 37 phones belonging to journalists and associates of Jamal Khashoggi.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/nso-spyware-pegasus/
5. Associated Press (AP News), 2025
Investigation confirming Israeli-backed spyware used to target European journalists.
https://apnews.com (search: “Israeli spyware journalists”)
6. Reuters – NSO Group Blacklisted by U.S. Commerce Department
U.S. government declares NSO a national-security threat.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-adds-israeli-spyware-firms-nso-group-blacklist-2021-11-03/
7. WhatsApp v. NSO Group (U.S. Court of Appeals)
Court ruling allowing Meta/WhatsApp to sue NSO Group for hacking 1,400+ users.
Court documents available via:
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/16198363/whatsapp-inc-v-nso-group-technologies-ltd/
8. Meta / Facebook Legal Action Against NSO Group
Meta’s lawsuit for Pegasus attacks via WhatsApp.
https://about.fb.com/news/2019/10/protecting-people-from-spyware-attacks/
9. Microsoft Threat Intelligence – Candiru Report
Technical analysis of Candiru infections and global targets.
https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/07/15/protecting-customers-from-a-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits-and-dev/
10. European Parliament Inquiry into Pegasus & Predator
EU official report on illegal surveillance in European Union member states.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/inga/home/highlights
11. The Guardian – Israeli Spyware Revelations
Multiple investigative articles on Pegasus, Predator, and Candiru.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/pegasus-spyware
12. The New York Times – Inside Israel’s Spyware Industry
Major investigative piece exploring how NSO spyware spread worldwide.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/28/magazine/nso-group-israel-spyware.html
13. Front Line Defenders
Report describing Pegasus infections found in human-rights defenders.
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/mobile-phone-hacked-pegasus
14. Amnesty Security Lab – Technical Breakdown of Predator Spyware
Confirms Predator attacks through social media links and fake app updates.
https://securitylab.amnesty.org/latest/2023/12/predator-files/
