Apple yagejeje ikirego mu rukiko ishaka ko NSO Group itongera gukoresha igikoresho na kimwe gikorwa na Apple, harimo iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac na Apple TV.
Ni nyuma y’aho bigaragaye ko porogaramu ya Pegasus yakozwe na NSO Group, sosiyete y’ikoranabuhanga y’Abanya-Isiraheli, ikoreshwa mu gutata abakoresha iPhone.
Pegasus ni porogaramu y’ikoranabuhanga ikoreshwa hirya no hino ku Isi mu bikorwa by’ubumaneko (spyware). Ishyirwa muri telefone y’ukeneweho amakuru atabizi.
Pegasus ifite ubushobozi bwo gusoma ubutumwa bwanditse (text messages), gukurikirana abahamagara umuntu n’abo ahamagara (tracking calls), gufata ijambo ry’ibanga (collecting passwords), gucana mikoro ya telefone y’ukeneweho amakuru n’ibindi.
Pegasus yakozwe mu mwaka wa 2016, igurishwa Guverinoma zikeneye gukurikirana bya hafi abakekwaho ibyaha n’iterabwoba ariko ubu burenganzira ngo amaleta arabwangiza.
Ni ubwa kabiri hatangwa ikirego nk’iki nyuma y’aho muri 2019 Facebook ireze NSO Group kuba umuyoboro wo gutata abakiliya ba Facebook bakoresha Whatsapp.
“Ibigo biterwa inkunga na Leta nka NSO Group bitakaza amafaranga menshi mu gukora ikoranabuhanga ry’ubutasi hatitawe ku nyungu rusange. Bigomba guhinduka.”
Umuyobozi wungirije wa Apple ushinzwe gukora porogaramu, Craig Federeghi, yunzemo ati, “Nubwo ibitero bya Pegasus bigabwa ku bakiliya bacu bake, biraduhangayikisha.”
“Ntiduhwema gukaza umutekano n’amabanga y’abakiliya bacu dukoresheje iOS (Operating System) kugira ngo abakiliya bacu badahungabanywa.”
Iki kirego gishobora guhombya NSO Group kuko Pegasus igira umumaro iyo ihawe uburenganzira bwo kwinjira muri telefone za Apple cyangwa izikoresha Android.
Ivan Krstic uyobora ishami ry’umutekano mu ikoranabuhanga muri Apple yagize ati, “Iyi ntambwe duteye iratanga ubutumwa. Muri sosiyete yisanzuye, ntabwo byakwihanganirwa kuba porogaramu z’ubutasi ziterwa inkunga n’amaleta zakoreshwa mu guhangabanya umutekano w’abantu baharanira ko Isi iba nziza kurushaho.”
Amaleta y’abanyagitugu ashinjwa gukoresha Pegasus mu kuneka n’abantu badakurikiranweho ibyaha, barimo abanyamakuru, abaharanira uburenganzira bwa muntu n’abanyepolitiki batavuga rumwe na yo, mu buryo bunyuranyije n’amasezerano agirana na NSO Group mbere yo guhabwa iyi porogaramu.
Iperereza ryakozwe na The Guardian n’ibigo by’itangazamakuru 16 rigaragaza ko iyi porogaramu ikomeje gukoreshwa hirya no hino ku Isi mu buryo buhonyora uburenganzira bwa kiremwamuntu.
Pegasus ishyirwa muri telefone za iPhones n’izifite umutima wa Android (Operating system), igasoma amakuru yo muri iyo telefone ikayaha uyakeneye.
Mu makuru Pegasus itwara harimo ubutumwa bwanditse, amafoto, emails, n’ubundi butandukanye, ndetse igafata amajwi y’ibiganiro umuntu agirana n’abo bavugana kuri telefone atabizi ikayoherereza uyakeneye.
Amakuru y’ibanga yagiye hanze arerekana urutonde rwa nimero zisaga ibihumbi 50 bigaragara ko ari iz’abantu bakenewe n’abakiriya ba NSO Group kuva mu mwaka wa 2016.
Forbidden Stories, umuryango udaharanira inyungu w’i Paris mu Bufaransa, ndetse na Amnesty International babashije kubona uru rutonde rw’ibanga, rusangizwa ibitangazamakuru bikorana n’iyo miryango mu mushinga wiswe Pegasus Project ugamije gucukumbura imikorere ya Pegasus.
Isesengura rya gihanga (forensic analysis) ryakorewe ku mubare muto wa nimero zigaragara kuri urwo rutonde rirerekana ko hejuru ya kimwe cya kabiri cy’izo nimero zigaragaza guhakingwa (hacking) hakoreshejwe Pegasus.
Ibi ariko NSO Group si ko ibyumva. Umuvugizi wayo yabwiye Middle Easy Eye ati, “Ubuzima bw’ibihumbi by’abantu bwarokowe kubera ikoranabuhanga rya NSO.”
“Abasambanya abana n’abakora iterabwoba byaborohera gukorera ahantu hatari ubutasi, duha amaleta uburyo bwemewe mu mategeko bwo kubirwanya. NSO izakomeza guhagarara ku kuri.”
Nyuma yo gutanga iki kirego, Apple yavuze ko izatanga n’ubufasha bwa miliyoni 10 z’Idolari ku kigo cya Citizen Lab cyo muri Canada, ndetse n’ibindi bigo birajwe ishinga no kurwanya abajujubya abandi bakoresheje ikoranabuhanga.
NSO ntiyorohewe.
Tariki 3 Ugushyingo 2021, Urwego rwa Leta zunze Ubumwe z’Amerika rushinzwe Ubucuruzi (US Commerce Department) rwashyize mu kato (blacklisted) NSO na Candiru, iyi ikaba indi sosiyete y’ubutasi y’Abanya-Isiraheli, rushinja ibi bigo byombi gukora ibikorwa bibangamiye umutekano w’Amerika.
Urwego rwego rushinzwe Ubucuruzi rwategetse ko NSO na Candiru bitemerewe kugura ibice bikoreshwa mu ikoranabuhanga ryabyo ku masosiyete yo muri Amerika keretse bibiherewe uburenganzira bwihariye.
Muri 2019, Google na Microsoft byashyigikiye Facebook mu kurega NSO Group, byizera ko intsinzi ya Facebook yafasha mu gukumira ibangamirwa ry’abakiliya babyo.
