NSO Group—Human Rights Watch staff member targeted with Pegasus spyware by government client
In November 2021, Apple notified Human Rights Watch researcher Lama Fakih that state-sponsored attackers were targeting her iPhone. The HRW information security team and Amnesty International's Security Lab confirmed her devices had been infected with Pegasus spyware. This demonstrated that NSO's government clients used the spyware against staff of major international human rights organizations, not just individual activists and journalists.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Safety for Vulnerable Users | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Surveillance Technology | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.885 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
Human Rights Watch confirmed its staff member was targeted with Pegasus spyware
In January 2022, Human Rights Watch published findings that its researcher Lama Fakih had been targeted with Pegasus spyware, confirmed by both HRW's security team and Amnesty International's Security Lab. Apple had notified Fakih in November 2021 that state-sponsored attackers may be targeting her iPhone.