Pegasus software has been used to spy on activists and journalists for over a year.
Journalists for El Faro, GatoEncerrado, Disruptive Digital Magazine, El Mundo newspaper and Hoy newspaper, as well as Cristosal organizations and the Democracia Transparencia y Justicia Foundation (DTJ), The intelligence report says that between July 2020 and November 2021 the privacy of their communications was violated.
The victims included two independent journalists and another unnamed NGO.
The same report indicates that the hack took place When the media and organizations echo the corruption cases in the Salvador government.
The investigation points out that Pegasus is a software operator in El Salvador known as Torocos for investigative purposes. It will be operational from November 2019.
However, it makes clear that there is not enough evidence to conclude that the operator, Torocos, represents the government of Salvador.
Software vulnerabilities are analyzed by Amnesty International Security Laboratory, Frontline Defenders, Fundamental Accesso and SocialTIC.
Scott Railton, one of the authors of the investigation report, described the interventions on Twitter. They coincide with the times when topics of great interest to the government are discussed.
Railton denounced the NSO group that owns the software and called its sales “irresponsible” to El Salvador.
Speaking to the AP, Sofia Medina, a spokeswoman for President Naik Bougainville, said: “El Salvador has no affiliation with Pegasus and is not a client of the NSO Group.” He said the government does not have a license to use this type of software.