Pegasus relies on zero days, or flaws in Apple's code that it's not aware of and hasn't patched yet. It also asks Apple for a 'staff level briefing' about the company's communications with government agencies about the spyware. The letter requests Apple provide the number of attacks it's detected from the tools and when and where they occurred. In their letter to Apple, Jordan and Johnson asked CEO Tim Cook to provide details about Apple's ability to detect when iPhones have been targeted by the NSO Group tools. Still, the letter asks the FBI to hand over communications between the agency and the NSO Group or its subsidiaries about the agency's purchase, testing or use of NSO spyware and the potential legality of using Phantom against domestic targets.

The FBI bought and tested the Pegasus technology, according to the Times, and considered deploying Phantom in the U.S., before deciding against it. In their letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Jordan and Johnson said they found the FBI's acquisition of NSO spyware to be 'deeply troubling and presents significant risks to the civil liberties of U.S. The company demonstrated the tool to the FBI, according to the Times. government agencies allowed to buy the tool under the license. phones, a capability Pegasus does not have, with only U.S. The Times wrote that the Israeli government had granted a special license allowing Phantom to target U.S. police on a similarly-styled tool called Phantom. Vice News had first reported that the NSO Group had pitched local U.S. That technology, called Pegasus, is a spy tool that lets users hack into Apple iOS or Google Android phones and access messages on encrypted apps, all without requiring the victim to click on a malware link.

But a few months after the investigation was published, the Biden administration blacklisted the firm, saying the company knowingly supplied its technology had to foreign governments who used it to 'maliciously target' phones of dissidents, activists and journalists.

The NSO Group denied the findings of the report. Last year, an investigation by a coalition of news outlets found NSO's software was used to hack into the phones of journalists and activists. 'The Committee is examining the FBI's acquisition, testing, and use of NSO's spyware, and potential civil liberty implications of the use of Pegasus or Phantom against U.S.

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