Khashoggi Victim of Cyber Crime?

A lawsuit filed last week by Saudi activist Omar Abdulaziz alleged that his phone was hacked with Pegasus spyware and that his communications with journalist Jamal Khashoggi were intercepted. Abdulaziz states that the data from the hack was used to assassinate Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in October. The company behind Pegasus, the NSO Group, is an Israeli cybersecurity firm that sells spyware. The company responded, saying “…NSO is a technology company that is uninvolved with how our products are used once they are sold to our customers.” Regardless, this case highlights the dangers of spyware and the importance of cybersecurity across both private and public sectors.