Facebook Wanted to Buy Tool Used to Spy on iPhone Users

Facebook has been involved in several security scandals and here is another report of the kind. This time, the company founded by Mark Zuckerberg wanted to buy the Pegasus tool used to hack iPhones.

This revelation came as part of a lawsuit in which Facebook accused the NSO Group, responsible for Pegasus, of exploiting a security breach in WhatsApp. Thanks to this vulnerability it was possible to install spyware on Android and iOS smartphones.

Facebook thought it couldn’t spy on iOS users enough

According to what was advanced by the NSO Group, in October 2017, two Facebook representatives contacted the Israeli company. The purpose was to buy the rights to your Pegasus tool.

This tool allows you to jailbreak any iPhone and, consequently, collect sensitive data from users. Thus, information such as the call history, credentials or even the location history would be available to the social network.

” Facebook representatives stated that Facebook was concerned that its method of collecting user data through Onavo Protect was less effective on Apple devices than on Android devices. The representatives also stated that Facebook wanted to use the alleged Pegasus capabilities to monitor users on Apple devices and was willing to pay for the ability to monitor users of Onavo Protect. “

The social network wanted to acquire and Pegasus for its fear of not being able to spy on iOS users as effectively as Android. The NSO Group refused the rights to its tool just because Facebook is not a government entity.

After all what was Onavo Protect

This tool was launched by Facebook promising a free VPN for all its users. As a VPN, Onavo Protect promised to maintain the anonymity of its users while they browse the internet.

However, this tool was designed with the aim of collecting personal information from users. In terms of Onavo Protect it was said that it would use user data to improve the quality of services provided by the social network.

Naturally, this triggered a scandal and it wasn’t long before Apple forced Facebook to remove the app from the App Store. When the case seemed to be outdated, behold, this espionage scheme carried out by the social network returns to the news.