EU lawmaker probing Pegasus spyware reportedly hacked by it, sparking outrage

MEPs call for spyware ban after Citizen Lab says with ‘high confidence’ that phone belonging to Greek member of EU probe was infiltrated by Israeli-created software in 2022 and 2023

BRUSSELS — EU lawmakers voiced outrage Friday over a report that a former Greek MEP’s phone was hacked using the Israeli-created Pegasus spyware — while he was serving on a parliamentary inquiry into the surveillance tool.

The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found that Stelios Kouloglou’s phone was infected with Pegasus in 2022 and 2023, while the left-wing lawmaker sat as a substitute on the European Parliament committee investigating the spyware’s use in Europe.

The researchers said they had “high confidence” in their findings but could not say who was behind the alleged espionage, while noting that Pegasus, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, had been sold to several governments.

The report issued Friday sparked a wave of indignant reactions at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Belgian Green lawmaker Saskia Bricmont said she was “shocked,” urging the European Commission to “take binding measures to ban the illegal use of spyware in Europe.”

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The Left group called for “strong measures” against spyware, arguing that little has been done in Europe to date, while the centrist Renew group said it was “very concerned.”

An investigative journalist and EU lawmaker until 2024, Kouloglou contacted Citizen Lab himself in May to have his phone examined.

Questioned about the claim, the European Parliament said its services “constantly monitor cybersecurity threats as well as potential cyberattacks against its working environment.”

Since 2022, a spyware detection system has been available to all EU lawmakers, said parliament spokeswoman Delphine Colard.

The system can identify the possible presence of intrusive software on lawmakers’ private IT and communication devices, she added, noting that checks and support operations are carried out on a regular basis.

In 2021, a consortium of international media organizations revealed that Pegasus had been used to spy on hundreds of journalists, politicians, human rights activists and business leaders across various countries.

The scandal led to the creation of the EU parliament inquiry committee, known as PEGA, which wrapped up in 2023 with a series of recommendations for setting conditions on the use of spyware in order to protect citizens from unlawful surveillance.

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