The United Arab Emirates has been accused of purchasing Israeli malware capable of turning Apple�s iPhones into remote spying devices to clamp down voices of dissent.

The revelation was made by the University of Toronto�s Citizen Lab after human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor sent them a suspicious link�which had been sent to him via a text message.

The link claimed to contain �new secrets� about detainees being tortured in UAE prisons.
�We recognized the links as belonging to an exploit infrastructure connected to NSO Group, an Israel-based �cyber war� company that sells Pegasus, a government-exclusive �lawful intercept� spyware product,� said Citizen Lab in a statement.
�Once infected, Mansoor�s phone would have become a digital spy in his pocket, capable of employing his iPhone�s camera and microphone to snoop on activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements,� it added.
The lab -- which focuses on advanced research and development at the intersection of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), human rights, and global security -- said that the UAE government was �the likely operator behind the targeting,��and noted that the attack was traced back to software designed by Israel�s NSO Group, which writes and sells spyware to clients, including foreign governments.
The NSO, which is reportedly run by former members of the Israeli army�s Unit 8200 electronic surveillance branch, refrained from commenting whether it had sold the software to Abu Dhabi as they �cannot confirm the specific cases.�

�The agreements signed with the company�s customers require that the company�s products only be used in a lawful manner. Specifically, the products may only be used for the prevention and investigation of crimes,� said NSO spokesman Zamir Dahbash.

The discovery prompted Apple to release an urgent software update aimed at blocking the exploitation used by the spyware.

Mansoor, a prominent and internationally recognized human rights activist, has been arrested and tortured in the past and has also been the target of sophisticated malware written by a private intelligence firm.

�The targeting of these activists and dissidents is a taste of what�s to come,� Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak. �What they�re facing today will be faced by ordinary users tomorrow,� he added.

By Press TV