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Phone of EU lawmaker investigating Pegasus spyware hacked with same tool
As the European Parliament’s special committee probed the misuse of Pegasus spyware, committee member Stelios Kuloglu’s phone was hit at least three times with the same tool. Canada-based Citizen Lab reported that attackers infiltrated the lawmaker’s device, accessing messages, documents and photos, and may have even tapped the microphone and camera.
A member of the European Parliament’s (EP) special committee investigating the misuse of the Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel-based NSO Group, was targeted with the same software while the inquiry was ongoing.
According to a report by Citizen Lab, the Canadian cybersecurity research group based at the University of Toronto, the phone of Greek journalist and former MEP Stelios Kuloglu was hacked at least three times between October 2022 and March 2023 using Pegasus.
The report noted that this marks the first publicly confirmed instance of a serving member of a committee probing the use of Pegasus and similar spyware in Europe being directly attacked.
Risk of access to investigation documents
According to the investigation, the first breach occurred on 21 October 2022. At the time, the committee was preparing for critical hearings, and draft reports were being circulated among members. The report’s authors do not rule out the possibility that the attackers accessed investigation material that had not yet been made public.
Beyond accessing messages, documents and photos, the attackers were also able to use the microphone and camera. The report emphasized that the incident compromised not only the security of an MEP but also the confidentiality of the investigation being conducted by the legislature.
Citizen Lab called on EU institutions to conduct a comprehensive investigation, recommending that all committee members and staff be screened for potential spyware infiltrations and that a joint mechanism be developed to protect European institutions from similar cyberattacks.
Kuloglu’s role on the committee
Stelios Kuloglu served on the European Parliament’s special committee that investigated the use of Pegasus and other digital surveillance tools between March 2022 and July 2023. The committee examined allegations of illegal surveillance by European governments targeting journalists, politicians, activists and citizens.
Pegasus and NSO Group
Pegasus is considered one of the most advanced commercially available spyware tools. Developed by Israel-based NSO Group, the software is sold only to government agencies, according to the company, and is licensed for use in fighting terrorism and serious crime.
However, in recent years, Pegasus has repeatedly surfaced in international investigations over its use to monitor journalists, opposition politicians, human rights defenders and social activists. NSO Group is currently under US sanctions.
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