Asian Tech Press (Feb 22) -- Israel's judicial authority said there's no evidence to support allegations that police illegally used Pegasus app to hacked the mobile phones of dozens of public figures.

The Justice Ministry said Monday that an Israeli investigation has found "no indication" that police used controversial spyware Pegasus on the cell phones of some public figures without authorization, according to The Associated Press.

The Israeli newspaper Calcalist said in an unsourced report earlier this month that police used Pegasus on public figures, including a son and close associate of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, without a judge's authorization.

"There is no indication that police deployed Pegasus software without a court order against people on the list published in the media," the judicial authority said.

Developed by Israel's NSO Group , Pegasus software can be covertly installed on mobile devices with Android, iOS, BlackBerry and other operating systems, accessing all of their content, including their cameras and microphones, turning them into surveillance devices.