Angela Merkel says hacking software must not get into wrong hands

It is important that hacking software does not get into the wrong hands, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday when asked about the Pegasus spyware case.

She also told reporters that countries without any judicial oversight of how spying software is used should not have it.

Read | French prosecutors open probe into 'Pegasus media spying'

An investigation published on Sunday by 17 media organisations said the Pegasus spyware, made and licensed by Israeli company NSO, had been used in attempted and successful hacks of smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists on a global scale.