FBI Confirms Buying Pegasus Spyware, Says Tested Only To Stay Abreast Of Emerging Tech: Report

FBI stated that the purchase was only for a "limited license" to access the Pegasus spyware and the intentions were limited to "product testing and evaluations only."

New Delhi: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence and security service of the US, on Thursday, confirmed that it “tested” the Israel-originated Pegasus spyware.

FBI confirmed that it purchased the spyware from NSO in a statement released to the British daily newspaper The Guardian. The agency suggests that this was done to “stay abreast of emerging technologies and tradecraft”.

FBI statement further stated that the purchase was only for a "limited license" to access the Pegasus spyware and the intentions were limited to "product testing and evaluations only", according to a report by The Guardian. 

“There was no operational use in support of any investigation,” revealed the FBI.

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It had procured the spyware in 2019, under the Trump administration. The incident was first reported by the New York Times.

Pegasus is one of the most powerful pieces of spyware is credited to an Israel-based private company — NSO. It is stated that once the spyware is introduced into a person’s cell phone, it can easily turn into a 24-hour surveillance device.

The revelation comes as a shocker as the Biden-led administration had recently placed NSO on a commerce department blacklist. This was done stating that they had evidence that NSO’s hacking tools allowed governments all over the world to conduct “transnational repression” that targets dissidents and journalists in particular.