Study shows potentially higher prevalence of spyware infections than previously thought | CyberScoop<\/title> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Study shows potentially higher prevalence of spyware infections than previously thought\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An investigation into the numbers has some caveats, but those behind it say even a drastic reduction from what they found would be big.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-04T14:00:00+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" 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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.82096069869\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"35.233890214797\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought\/\"> <span>Technology<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> An investigation into the numbers has some caveats, but those behind it say even a drastic reduction from what they found would be big. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/82796\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> Kenstocker, iStock \/ Getty Images Plus <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"25.602272727273\"><body readability=\"52.263157894737\"><\/p>\n<p>High-powered spyware might be more prevalent on victims\u2019 phones than commonly believed, <a href=\"https:\/\/iverify.io\/blog\/iverify-mobile-threat-investigation-uncovers-new-pegasus-samples\">research out Wednesday from iVerify suggests<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Devices that the mobile device security firm\u2019s tech scanned found seven Pegasus spyware infections among 2,500 users who volunteered to participate in its investigation with a $0.99 version of its tech as an app.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur investigation detected 2.5 infected devices per 1,000 scans \u2014 a rate significantly higher than any previously published reports,\u201d iVerify said in a blog post.<\/p>\n<p>Even with the caveat that its users \u2014 and those who self-selected to participate in the investigation \u2014 are from a population more likely to be targeted for spyware infections, that still was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.occrp.org\/en\/project\/the-pegasus-project\/about-the-project\">a startling rate<\/a>, said Rocky Cole, chief operating officer and co-founder of the company.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cOur findings suggest that commercial spyware in particular is far more prevalent than people think,\u201d he told CyberScoop. Even if the study showed a drastically lower rate of infections than that, it would still make it larger than assumed, \u201cgiven that the prevailing narrative has been that spyware is niche and only something that people wanted by law enforcement or activists and journalists have to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of the seven infections, all were located outside the United States; NSO Group, the maker of Pegasus spyware, has said it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2021\/07\/19\/us-phone-numbers-nso\/\">cannot target U.S. phone numbers<\/a>. They were spread across Europe, the Middle East and countries located in the Southern hemisphere that are known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Global_North_and_Global_South\">Global South<\/a>, Cole said.<\/p>\n<p>The victims were, in fact, journalists and activists, but also business leaders not overtly involved in politics, Cole said.<\/p>\n<p>The scans employed threat signatures from groups that study spyware, such as those that the University of Toronto\u2019s Citizen Lab discovered. The infections stretched between 2021 and 2023, with the study occurring in May of this year. Almost all of the infections left identifiable traces, such as file names unique to Pegasus, and did not appear to indicate the spyware was still active on those devices, Cole said.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":6486,"date":"2024-12-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=82796"},"modified":"2024-12-04T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T14:00:00","slug":"study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/12\/04\/study-shows-potentially-higher-prevalence-of-spyware-infections-than-previously-thought\/","title":{"rendered":"Study shows potentially higher prevalence of spyware infections than previously thought"},"content":{"rendered":"