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No one is safe from Pegasus: spyware detected on ordinary people’s phones (cybernews.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by solo@slrpnk.net to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Self-scans reveal that Pegasus, an invasive and powerful spyware that can secretly control phones and track owners, might be more widespread than previously thought. It was discovered on the phones of everyday phone users.

From wikiHow: How to Check Your Smartphone for Pegasus Spyware

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[–] embed_me@programming.dev 14 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Let's say there are signs of it being infected. What can you do next?

[–] IHawkMike@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know the full answer, but Pegasus isn't one single piece of spyware, but rather a toolkit of many, many zero-day exploits.

A lot of them (the majority maybe?) are non-persistent meaning that they don't survive a reboot.

That said, aside from keeping your phone up to date with security patches and rebooting frequently, I'm not sure there's much the average person can do if you're actively being targeted.

[–] 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Buy/replace your phone

[–] GhiLA@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

How do you keep that one from reinfecting?

[–] 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

You can try factory reset, but more than likely they control the boot process, so you can't get rid of the malware no matter what you do.

You might be able to trade it in with your manufacturer. They might be interested in having an infected phone to study.

[–] LambdaRX@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

Reinstall rom

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

I installed GrapheneOS the moment I got my phone, which should give me a few protections over standard Android.

Longer term, I intend to get a Linux phone, I'm just waiting for the hardware and software to improve. I already almost entirely avoid the Play store, so making the final switch shouldn't be that big of a jump.