A member of the European Parliament (EP) serving on the special committee investigating the misuse of the Pegasus spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group became a target of the same software while the investigation was ongoing.
According to a report by the Canadian cybersecurity research organization Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto, the phone of Greek journalist and former MEP Stelios Kouloglou was hacked at least three times using Pegasus between October 2022 and March 2023.
The report stated that this is the first publicly confirmed case in which a sitting member of the committee investigating the use of Pegasus and similar spyware in Europe was personally attacked.
Risk of intrusion into investigation documents
According to the investigation, the first intrusion occurred on October 21, 2022. At that time, the committee was preparing for critical sessions, and draft reports were being circulated among members. The authors of the report do not rule out the possibility that the attackers accessed investigation materials that had not yet been made public.
In addition to accessing messages, documents and photos on the device, the attackers also had the ability to use the microphone and camera. The report emphasized that the incident jeopardized not only the security of an MEP but also the confidentiality of an investigation conducted by a legislative body.
Citizen Lab called on EU institutions to conduct a thorough investigation and recommended that all members and staff of the committee be screened for possible spyware intrusions, and that a joint mechanism be developed to protect European institutions from similar cyberattacks.
Kouloglou's role on the committee
Stelios Kouloglou served on the European Parliament's special committee that conducted an investigation into the use of Pegasus and other digital surveillance tools between March 2022 and July 2023. The committee examined allegations of illegal surveillance of journalists, politicians, activists and citizens by European governments.
Pegasus and NSO Group
Pegasus is considered one of the most advanced commercially available spyware products. Developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, the software is claimed to be licensed solely for the purpose of combating terrorism and serious crime, and the company asserts it is only sold to government agencies.
However, in recent years Pegasus has repeatedly surfaced in international investigations with reports that it was used to monitor journalists, opposition politicians, human rights defenders and social activists. NSO Group is currently under US sanctions.
