Paris: French National Cyber-Security Agency ANSSI confirmed the presence of Pegasus spyware in the phones of two journalists from the country's online investigative magazine Mediapart, the publication reported on Thursday. This is the first confirmed global snooping scam by a government agency in the world.

Mediapart reported that "The study report by ANSSI is similar to the findings of Amnesty International's Security Lab, which mentions the reality of espionage by Pegasus, its modus operandi, dates, and duration." MediaPart is among the 17 international media organizations that are publishing the report. The report said Israeli spyware Pegasus was used to hack smartphones. This spyware has the power to read phone messages, record calls, and activate microphones secretly.

According to The Wire, an Indian media outlet for the International Media Association that exposed the plot in India, phones of opposition leaders, top court judges, ministers, and journalists like former Congress national Rahul Gandhi were potential targets of pegasus espionage. The controversy has fuelled aggressive attacks on the government by the opposition and created a ruckus in Parliament.

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