In a shocking revelation, a member of the European Parliament's PEGA Committee was found to be infected with Pegasus spyware, the very technology the committee was investigating. Stelios Kouloglou, a Greek journalist and former member of the European Parliament, had his phone infected with Pegasus spyware twice, once in October 2022 and again in March 2023.
Pegasus Spyware Infection
The infection was discovered by the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which revealed that Kouloglou's phone was targeted during critical moments of the committee's work. The first infection occurred when the committee was preparing for prominent hearings and the first draft of its report. The second infection happened when the panel was preparing for more hearings and was engaged in intense discussions related to the final drafting process.
Reaction from Committee Members
Hannah Neumann, a member of the PEGA Committee and European Parliament member from Germany, expressed frustration and concern over the infection. She stated that many committee members were expecting some hacks during the committee's work, but it's still surprising to find out that it really happened. Neumann emphasized the need for regular device checks and the importance of enacting the committee's recommendations to prevent spyware abuses.
Ron Deibert, founder and director of Citizen Lab, noted that it is ironic that a member of the committee charged with investigating Pegasus was himself targeted with Pegasus spyware. He stated that someone, somewhere likely wanted to breach parliamentary privilege and find out what was going on in that committee.
Lessons Learned and Next Steps
Kouloglou plans to pursue legal action against NSO Group, the manufacturer of Pegasus spyware. Neumann emphasized the need for members of national parliament and the European Parliament to regularly get their devices checked, as it appears that spyware makers do not respect European democracy and parliamentarism.
John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab, warned that providing highly secretive government agencies with surveillance tools supplied by unaccountable and often unethical mercenary firms is a recipe for the abuse of power. He predicted that more parliamentarians will be hacked in the future, and some may already be attending high-level meetings with their phones infected with spyware.
The incident highlights the need for stronger measures to prevent spyware abuses and the importance of enacting the PEGA Committee's recommendations. As Neumann stated, it's time to wake up and start implementing the recommendations, as the spyware abuse is a serious threat to democratic processes.
- Pegasus spyware was used to infect the phone of a PEGA Committee member.
- The infection occurred during critical moments of the committee's work.
- The incident highlights the need for stronger measures to prevent spyware abuses.
- The PEGA Committee's recommendations should be enacted to prevent future spyware abuses.
It is ironic that a member of the committee charged with investigating Pegasus was himself targeted with Pegasus spyware. - Ron Deibert, founder and director of Citizen Lab
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting democratic processes from the abuse of power and the need for stronger measures to prevent spyware abuses.
Source: CyberScoop