Pegasus spyware – How to check if your phone has been infected with malicious spying tool

SOME 50,000 phones and devices were potentially infected with malware from the infamous hacking firm NSO Group - here's how to find out if yours was affected.

After it was revealed that Pegasus, a malicious program created by the Israeli NSO Group, was used to spy on residents of a number of countries secretly, many have come to suspect their phones are infected.

Pegasus allows the user to control one's smartphone, secretly read messages and other correspondence, wiretap phone conversations, view photos and videos, and more.

Many antiviruses cannot detect Pegasus due to the malware exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities that are currently unknown to developers of operating systems and antivirus applications.

But fear not, because if you suspect your device has some potential malware, you can check it for free.

Amnesty International has developed a new tool called the Mobile Verification Toolkit on MVT, with a source code available on GitHub.

However, given the app's tech-forward uses, and its need for those affected, it is recommended only those who suspect their phones of containing Pegasus malware or know how to install the app get MVT.

The MVT allows Android and iOS users to install the app - which needs to be done only on a computer with Linux or macOS.

The utility then works by saving a backup copy of data from the smartphone on the computer, scans it and checks to see if the data is infected with spyware.

If it is, the app tells the user the device could be compromised and looks for any data shared or transferred to third parties.

The utility scans data transfer logs to see if there is an infection indicator that shows possible malware.

It's easier to find Pegasus on Apple devices given that iOS stores these logs longer than on Android.