EU Politician Probing Spyware Abuses Was Hacked with Pegasus
A European politician serving on an EU committee investigating spyware abuses was himself hacked using NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The attack was carried out by a government customer of NSO Group, highlighting a deeply troubling irony. The incident raises serious questions about the security of democratic institutions across Europe.
A European politician actively working to investigate the abuses of commercial spyware has himself become a victim of the very tool he was scrutinizing. According to TechCrunch, NSO Group's notorious Pegasus spyware was used to infiltrate the politician's mobile phone while he was serving on an EU committee specifically tasked with examining the spyware industry.
The attack was carried out by a government-level customer of NSO Group, underscoring how these powerful surveillance tools can be weaponized to monitor or silence democratically elected representatives. Pegasus is widely known for its ability to take complete control of a target's device, granting access to messages, the camera, and the microphone, all without the user's knowledge.
This incident stands as one of the most striking examples of the spyware industry operating with insufficient oversight or accountability. The fact that an investigator of these tools was himself compromised illustrates the depth of the problem and the urgent need for strict international regulation.
The EU Parliament's committee was established following revelations that Pegasus and similar tools had been used against journalists, activists, and politicians across Europe. This latest disclosure is expected to intensify calls for stronger legislation targeting commercial spyware developers and the governments that procure their services.