Here’s how you can check if your iPhone, iPad have Pegasus spyware

While private Israeli firm NSO Group has denied media reports its Pegasus software is linked to the mass surveillance of journalists and rights defenders, and insisted that all sales of its technology are approved by Israel’s defence ministry, concerns remain high.

iMazing is an application which can run on your Mac or PC to check your IPhone and IPad for Pegasus, a dangerous form of spyware that does not require a person to click on links or messages to be secretly installed in devices.

Pegasus was designed by the NSO group to target criminals and terrorists, but in recent years it has come to be used to monitor and spy on the phones of journalists, businessmen, politicians and activists. Some countries like France and the United States have raised concerns over the its misuse, leading NSO to suspend some countries from Pegasus privileges.

The Israeli software targets a smartphone surreptitiously, exploiting flaws in its operating system or apps to steal a wide array of private data, track user movements or record calls.

To check and remove the software download the iMazing application from its website. Using its free trial will allow you to run the full spyware test without buying it.

After its installation on your Mac or PC, run the application and connect your device to your computer using a cable. Once the application recognises your phone, begin the spyware detection test.

The tool will first create a local backup on your device and then begin analysing the data. The test may take an approximate 30 minutes for backup and an additional 5 minutes for the test. Once iMazing starts analysing your data, it will run you through each application it’s checking in a small window.

The test conclusion will likely produce results showing no spyware infection because general devices do not get hacked. However, in the unlikely case that the test does reveal spyware detection, the application will provide detailed report and offers help through customer support on how to remove it from your device. The company also suggests that you immediately remove your sim card and turn off your device, to avoid compromising sensitive information you may have there.