Pegasus spyware was used against 14 heads of state, Khashoggi's family, and 189 journalists across 50+ countries

When journalists across the globe began receiving alerts in 2021 that their phones had been compromised, they weren't facing ordinary cybercriminals. They were targets of one of the world's most sophisticated surveillance systems, deployed by governments and sold by a private Israeli company. What followed was a verification of one of the most consequential digital espionage operations in modern history.

The Pegasus Project began as whispers in newsrooms and human rights organizations. For years, activists, journalists, and political dissidents reported their phones behaving strangely—battery drain, unusual heating, intercepted communications. NSO Group, an Israeli technology firm, maintained that its Pegasus spyware was designed exclusively for legitimate law enforcement purposes, targeting criminals and terrorists. The company insisted its customers used the tool only within legal boundaries and with proper judicial oversight. It was a reassuring narrative for governments that had purchased licenses to the software.

Then came the leak. In July 2021, an unprecedented investigation by 80 journalists across 17 media organizations obtained access to a database containing over 50,000 phone numbers. The Guardian, Amnesty International, and outlets including Le Monde, The Washington Post, and others began methodically verifying each target. What they found shattered NSO's carefully constructed defense.

The list included 14 heads of state and government officials from countries ranging from Mexico to Morocco to India. It contained 189 journalists—reporters, editors, and news directors working for major international outlets. The database documented 85 human rights activists and over 600 politicians. The targeting patterns revealed systematic surveillance, not sporadic law enforcement operations. Phones belonging to the families of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi were compromised—his fiancée's device was targeted just four days after his assassination in Istanbul, while his wife had been monitored months earlier.