Spyware developed by an Israeli firm has once again been used for surveillance against journalists, human rights activists and business executives. Smartphones were hacked to gather confidential information, according to an investigation by The Washington Post and 16 media partners.

A world collaborative investigative project has discovered Israeli spyware Pegasus was used to target thousands of people across the globe. In India, at least 300 people are believed to have been targeted, which are two serving Ministers in the Narendra Modi government, three Opposition leaders, one constitutional authority, various journalists and business persons.

The BJP launched a full-blown campaign to counter the opposite allegations on the Pegasus controversy. Home minister Amit Shah on Monday said disruptors and obstructors will not be able to derail India’s development trajectory through their (opposition’s) conspiracies and the monsoon session will bear new fruits of progress.

Shah said the facts and sequence of events are for the entire nation to see. “Today, the monsoon session has started. In what seemed like a perfect cue, late last evening we saw a report that has been amplified by a few sections with only one aim to do whatever is possible and humiliate India at the world stage, peddle the same old narratives about our nation and derail India’s development trajectory,” the home minister said in a statement, a few hours after Congress sought his resignation over the controversy.

How does it work?

‘Pegasus’ is spyware used to snoop into handsets which have been claimed that even a missed video call on WhatsApp could give Pegasus complete access to users’ smartphones.

It enabled the opening up of the handsets and the operator installing the spyware on the device without the owner’s acknowledgement. 

This resulted in the hacker accessing the user’s data including passwords, contacts, calendar events, text messages and even live voice calls from messaging apps easily without the user permission.

The 2019 attacks and WhatsApp’s complaint 

Pegasus can be installed on your phone without even your awareness just a phone call away and you never come to know it !!

After the 2019 attacks, WhatsApp in its complaint filed in California said the attack happened through its video calling feature.

It said Pegasus is capable of surveillance on three levels: initial data extraction, passive monitoring and active collection.

The software was used to hijack smartphones running on iOS, Android and BlackBerry operating systems. “A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of RTCP packets sent to a target phone number,” WhatsApp said in its complaint.

The spyware leaves no trace on the device, consumes minimal battery, memory and data consumption and comes with a self-destruct option that can be used any time, the complaint further added.

The OnePlus Nord CE 5G triple rear camera setup has been showcased through a new teaser. It is set to launch in India on Thursday 10th, June. The company has been teasing features of the phone bit by bit, and to feature a hole-punch display design and a 64-megapixel main sensor at the back. 

The popular Chinese smartphone manufacturer is all set to introduce its new smartphone in the Nord series. Camera details of the set are coming officially because of timeline marketing from the company brand. Only some days before the launch several details and specifications are revealed of the OnePlus Nord.

Design, Display and quality 

It has been confirmed that the OnePlus Nord CE 5G will be occupied with a triple rear camera setup which will include a 64-megapixel primary sensor along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and depth sensor of two megapixels. According to rumours, it is said that it will come with a 16-megapixel front camera. 

It is assumed that the OnePlus Nord Core Edition will be the successor of  OnePlus Nord. It will also include a 3.5mm headphone jack. The handset is expected to have a 6.43 inch full HD display with a 90 Hz fresh rate.

The phone will come with a punch-hole camera and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The handset has a 4,500mAh battery with Warp Charge 30 fast charging support.

According to OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, the Nord smartphones are a terrific option for users to have a speedy and terrific smartphone experience at a lower price.

“Our flagship phones (such as the OnePlus 9 Pro) will push new boundaries, while the Nord series will provide users with the speedy and smooth experience that OnePlus provides,” he said. “The Nord CE contains all of the essential characteristics that distinguish the Nord series.”

 Expected rates of the handset 

 The price of the OnePlus Nord 5G in India is expected to be between 20,000 to 25,000 which is a bit similar to the price of the original OnePlus Nord which was roughly 24,999.