Should I worry about Pegasus?

For most people, no. It is expensive, government-grade spyware aimed at specific individuals such as journalists, activists and lawyers — not spread to the general public. The single best habit for everyone is to keep your phone’s software updated, which closes the flaws these attacks depend on.

Can an encrypted app stop Pegasus?

Not on its own. If a phone is fully compromised, an attacker can see content while you have it open — including inside any app. The best defence is keeping the spyware off the phone in the first place: stay updated and, if you are at higher risk, turn on Lockdown Mode. An encrypted vault still helps by keeping your most sensitive files out of the general camera roll and locked behind their own secret.

What is a zero-click attack?

One that needs no action from you. Instead of tricking you into tapping a link or opening a file, it arrives through something your phone processes automatically, such as a message, and installs quietly. These attacks are rare and costly to build, which is why they are used only on carefully chosen targets rather than the public.

What is Lockdown Mode?

A built-in iPhone setting, in Settings › Privacy & Security, that switches off some of the features these attacks abuse. It makes the phone a little less convenient but much harder to attack. It is aimed at the small number of people who may be targeted by this kind of spyware, not at everyone.

How do I know if I have been targeted?

Apple sends a Threat Notification to people it believes have been targeted by mercenary spyware. If you receive one, treat it as genuine, follow its advice, and consider help from a group such as Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline. These notifications are rare and are reserved for suspected state-grade attacks.

What is Pegasus spyware, and should you worry?

Key takeaways

Pegasus is professional spyware made by NSO Group and sold to government agencies — not something spread to the general public.

A “zero-click” attack needs no tap from you, but these attacks are costly and are spent on specific, chosen targets like journalists and activists.

Once a phone is infected, spyware can read messages, photos and notes and even switch on the microphone or camera — it sees what your phone sees.

Keeping your iPhone updated closes the flaws this spyware relies on, and it is the single most effective thing you can do.

If you may be a target, Lockdown Mode and Apple Threat Notifications are built in and free — and no app can fully protect an unlocked screen on an already-compromised phone.

What Pegasus is

Pegasus is spyware made by a company called NSO Group. It is sold to government agencies, not to ordinary criminals or the public. Once it lands on a phone, it can read messages, photos, notes and location, and can even switch on the microphone or camera. In short, it sees what your phone sees.

What “zero-click” means

Most attacks need you to make a mistake — tap a bad link, open a fake file. A zero-click attack skips that step. It arrives through something your phone handles automatically, like a message, and installs quietly with nothing for you to notice.

That sounds frightening, but it is also why these attacks are so valuable and so limited: they cost a great deal to build and are spent on carefully chosen targets. This is different from everyday malware like an infostealer, which is scattered widely and relies on you installing something.

Who is actually targeted

In case after case, the people found with Pegasus on their phones are journalists, activists, lawyers and political figures. The recent finding that prompted this article was on the phone of a student activist in Serbia, discovered by researchers at Citizen Lab together with the SHARE Foundation.

If you are not in a group that a government wants to watch, the practical risk to you is very low. This is worth saying plainly, because the goal here is calm, not fear.

The honest limit of any vault

Here is the part we will always be straight about. An encrypted vault protects your files while they are locked away. But if a phone is fully taken over by spyware, the attacker can see things at the moment you see them — while the vault is open and you are looking at a photo or note.

No app can fully protect an unlocked screen on a phone that is already compromised. That is why the steps below, which keep spyware off the phone in the first place, matter more than any single app.

The free steps that help

Everything here is built into your iPhone and costs nothing. Keep iOS updated — these attacks depend on flaws that Apple patches, and the exploit in the recent case was closed by an update Apple shipped in 2025. Updating promptly is the single most effective thing you can do.

If you are an activist, journalist or someone who may be targeted, turn on Lockdown Mode. It is in Settings and it deliberately switches off some of the features these attacks abuse. It is not for everyone, but it is powerful for those at risk. Turning on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud is a sensible companion step for keeping your backups end-to-end encrypted.

Take Apple Threat Notifications seriously: if you ever get one, it is real — follow its advice and seek help from a group like Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline. And restart your phone now and then; some spyware does not survive a reboot, so it is a small habit with a real benefit.

Where Sealby fits

Sealby cannot stop a government-grade attack on your phone’s operating system, and we will never pretend otherwise — the defences that matter most against Pegasus are keeping your phone updated and, for those at risk, Lockdown Mode. What Sealby does is give your most sensitive photos, videos, notes and files a home of their own: encrypted on your device, opened only with your own PIN or passphrase, and kept out of the shared camera roll that ordinary apps can see. It is one honest layer among several — not a magic shield, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a false sense of safety.

This is general education, not security advice. Threats, tools and app features change over time and differ by device — check current, reputable sources and the settings on your own device.

What is Pegasus spyware?