EU Admits Top Officials’ Phones Hacked Using ‘Israeli’ Spyware

By Staff, Agencies

The European Union found evidence that smartphones used by its staff were compromised by an Israeli company’s spy software, according to a report citing a letter by the bloc’s top justice official.

In a July 25 letter to EU lawmaker Sophie in ‘t Veld, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said iPhone maker Apple told him in 2021 that his iPhone had probably been hacked using Pegasus, spyware developed and sold to governments worldwide by ‘Israeli’ surveillance firm NSO Group, according to a report by Reuters.

The letter states that Apple's warning prompted an inspection of the official's personal and professional devices, as well as other phones used by European Commission employees.

Although the investigation did not find conclusive evidence that Reynders or EU staff's phones had been hacked, researchers did find "indicators of compromise," a term used by security researchers to describe evidence that hacking had occurred.

The letter does not divulge further details and Reynders said it was “impossible to attribute these indicators to a specific perpetrator with full certainty." 

An NSO spokesman, according to the report, said the company would cooperate with the EU investigation.

The group has been sued by Apple for violating its user terms and service agreement.

According to the letter, officials in Hungary, Poland, and Spain have been or are being questioned about their use of Pegasus.

Reynders said it was important to find out who targeted the EU Commission, and it would be scandalous if it was found that an EU member state was responsible.

The letter further stated that the European Commission has raised the issue with the Zionist regime authorities and asked them to take measures to prevent the abuse of their products in the European Union.

Earlier this year, lawmakers formed a committee to look into the use of surveillance software in Europe.

Last week, the committee announced that its research showed that 14 EU member states had purchased NSO technology in the past.

Pegasus has been used by governments to hack the phones of political leaders, human rights activists, and journalists worldwide.

The Zionist NSO Group is notorious for trying to have its spy apparatuses maintain an edge over their international counterparts.

The ‘Israeli’ occupation regime makes extensive use of Pegasus and other locally made spyware for espionage.

According to experts, Tel Aviv has treated NSO as a de-facto arm of the regime, granting licenses for selling Pegasus spyware to numerous countries, to forge stronger security and diplomatic ties.

In January, New York Times reported that the FBI had purchased Pegasus software in 2019.