CIA Uses Pegasus Spyware in Deceptive Rescue Operation in Iran

Severity: High (Score: 71.0)

Sources: Bhaskarenglish.In, Inkl

Summary

The CIA deployed Pegasus spyware during a rescue mission to mislead Iranian forces regarding a downed American airman. The operation involved sending false messages to Iranian leadership, suggesting the airman had been located. This tactic was part of a broader mission involving over 150 aircraft and hundreds of special forces personnel. The use of Pegasus, developed by NSO Group, allowed operatives to send messages that appeared to come from compromised devices. The operation also utilized a classified system called 'Ghost Murmur' to detect the airman's heartbeat from a distance. While US officials confirmed the use of deception tactics, the specific deployment of Pegasus had not been publicly acknowledged before this report. Experts have raised doubts about the feasibility of detecting a heartbeat from such distances. The incident marks a rare loss of US aircraft in Iranian territory since the conflict began on February 28. Key Points: • CIA used Pegasus spyware to mislead Iranian forces during a rescue operation. • The operation involved over 150 aircraft and hundreds of special forces personnel. • Experts question the feasibility of detecting a heartbeat from miles away.

Key Entities

• Malware (attack_type)
• Central Intelligence Agency (company)
• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (company)
• Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (company)
• NSO Group (company)
• Signal (company)
• Iran (country)
• Israel (country)
• United States (country)
• Pegasus (malware)
• WhatsApp (platform)