Web Desk: An Amnesty International investigation revealed that a sophisticated Israeli spyware system known as Predator is operating in Pakistan, raising questions about how the technology entered a country that maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel.
Spyware Linked to Israel’s Intellexa Alliance
Amnesty said the surveillance tool was developed by Intellexa, an Israel-linked technology company whose products have faced global scrutiny for alleged human rights violations. The findings form part of the “Intellexa Leaks,” a collection of internal documents, training videos and sensitive material that recently surfaced.
Business Recorder reported that the leak included the case of a human rights lawyer from Balochistan who contacted Amnesty’s Security Lab in the summer of 2025 after receiving a suspicious WhatsApp link. Analysts examined the link and determined it was an attempt to deliver the Predator spyware the first documented case of its kind in Pakistan, according to the report.
One-Click Exploit Gives Full Device Access
Investigators found that Predator uses a “one-click” infection method. Once a user taps a malicious link, the spyware exploits vulnerabilities in Chrome or Safari to infiltrate the device and install a full surveillance suite.
After installation, the system can access nearly all data on the phone, including WhatsApp and Signal messages, emails, audio recordings, photos, passwords, contacts and call logs. It can also silently activate the microphone and retrieve location data. Amnesty reported that captured information passes through a series of anonymization servers before reaching a command server located in the operating country.
Global Collaborators and Growing Security Concerns
Amnesty’s findings were produced with support from Greece’s Inside Story, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, and Switzerland’s WAV Research Collective. The revelations follow a global alert issued last year by Google, which warned users including some in Pakistan that their accounts may have been targeted by Predator operators.
The investigation further noted that Intellexa has developed an even more advanced platform called Aladdin. Unlike Predator, Aladdin can reportedly compromise a device through “zero-click” attacks by leveraging online advertising networks, allowing the spyware to install itself without any user interaction.
Questions Remain Unanswered
Amnesty said it posed detailed questions to Intellexa regarding the use and deployment of its surveillance tools. However, the company declined to respond.
The rights group warned that Predator remains one of the most potent spyware tools currently in circulation and has been tied to human rights violations in several countries. Its appearance in Pakistan, researchers said, suggests the threat landscape in the region is rapidly evolving.
