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Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

The mobile threat hunting company rolled out a new feature back in May 2024 that allows customers to conduct a professional-grade security scan of their mobile device without having to consult a forensics expert. Of the 2,500 self-initiated scans, Pegasus was discovered on seven devices.

Sure, seven installations out of 2,500 isn't overwhelming (it is fewer than 0.28 percent of all scans). What's more, the sample size is relatively small and is a bit skewed because it involves targeted users that already have an interest in device security. Still, it is noteworthy.

iVerify COO Rocky Cole told Wired that the people targeted are not just high profile journalists or activists, but also business leaders, people running commercial enterprises, and government leaders.

"It looks a lot more like the targeting profile of your average piece of malware or your average APT group than it does the narrative that's been out there that mercenary spyware is being abused to target activists," Cole said. "It is doing that, absolutely, but this cross section of society was surprising to find."

The infections spanned a range of operating system versions and installation timelines as well. One instance was installed in late 2023 on iOS 16.6 while another originated in November 2022 on iOS 15. The five others dated back to 2021 across iOS 14 and iOS 15. In all cases, Pegasus was undetected by traditional security measures.

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