Amazon Shuts Down Cloud Infrastructure Linked to Israel’s NSO Following Pegasus Spyware Controversy: Report

Pegasus was intended only for use by government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight terrorism and crime, NSO said.

Advertisement
By Agencies | Updated: 20 July 2021 10:00 IST
Highlights
  • Pegasus spyware was used in attempted, successful hacks of 37 smartphones
  • Amazon acted quickly to shut down the relevant infrastructure
  • NSO denied the report

Amazon did not immediately clarify if the accounts were related to NSO Group

Amazon's cloud service, Amazon Web Services, has shut down infrastructure and accounts linked to Israeli surveillance vendor NSO Group, as per a report by Vice.

NSO Group's Pegasus spyware was used in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, and human rights activists around the world, according to an investigation by 17 media organisations published on Sunday.

NSO denied the report and said its product was intended only for use by government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight terrorism and crime.

Advertisement

"When we learned of this activity, we acted quickly to shut down the relevant infrastructure and accounts," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

Amazon did not immediately clarify if the accounts were related to NSO Group.

Advertisement

From a list of more than 50,000 cellphone numbers obtained by the Paris-based journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories and the human rights group Amnesty International and shared with 16 news organisations, journalists were able to identify more than 1,000 individuals in 50 countries who were allegedly selected by NSO clients for potential surveillance.

They include 189 journalists, more than 600 politicians, and government officials, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights activists, and several heads of state, according to The Washington Post, a consortium member. The journalists work for organisations including The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, and The Financial Times.


The recently-concluded first season of Loki is our focus this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Amazon, AWS, NSO, Pegasus
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Samsung Galaxy S26+ Reportedly Listed for Sale Online Ahead of Launch
  2. Poco X8 Pro Spotted on Geekbench With This Dimensity 8000 Series Chipset
  3. Vivo X300 FE Reportedly Bags IMDA and TUV Certifications Ahead of Launch
  4. Apple to Reportedly Launch Low-Cost MacBook in 'Playful Colors' in March
  5. Xiaomi Civi 6 Could Launch in China Soon With Customisable AI Shortcut Key
  6. Xiaomi 17 Series Leak Hints at Imminent Launch Ahead of MWC at These Prices
  1. Sony Could Reportedly Delay PS6 to as Late as 2029 Due to RAM Shortage
  2. iPhone 18 Series to Drop SIM Card Slot in Europe to Make Room for Slightly Larger Battery: Report
  3. Poco X8 Pro Spotted on Geekbench With MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra SoC, Android 16
  4. Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra Global Price Details, Launch Date and Colour Options Leaked
  5. X Building Smart 'Cashtags' to Let Users Check Cryptocurrency Prices in Real-Time
  6. Samsung Galaxy A27 5G Listing on IMEI Database Suggests a Galaxy A26 Successor Is on the Way
  7. Anthropic Inaugurates First Indian Office in Bengaluru, Starts Hiring Local Talent
  8. Apple Tipped to Adopt Samsung's Privacy Display Technology for MacBook Models by 2029
  9. Oppo Find X10 Series Tipped to Launch in H2 2026 With Built-In Magnets for Wireless Charging
  10. AMD and TCS to Co-Develop Helios AI Data Centre Architecture, Deliver 200MW Data Centre Blueprint
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.