A former member of the European Parliament, Stelios Kouloglou, was hacked using an Israeli-made spy tool, according to a Canadian tech watchdog group. Citizen Lab reported that Kouloglou’s phone was hacked at least three times between October 2022 and March 2023 using Pegasus spyware, a tool distributed by the Israeli company NSO Group.

Investigating Surveillance

At the time of the targeting, Kouloglou was serving on the European Parliament’s PEGA Committee, which was set up to examine the use of illegal phone hacking across the European Union. The committee focused mainly on the use of Pegasus and similar tools, finding that governments across the EU likely used spyware, some legitimate, some illegitimate.

Kouloglou said he was astonished at the audacity of whoever was behind the hacking. The European Parliament did not directly address Kouloglou’s case but said its IT security services constantly monitor cybersecurity threats as well as potential cyberattacks against its working environment.

NSO has said its spy tools are used to police serious crime and to protect national security, but the company has repeatedly been accused of facilitating intrusive surveillance of journalists, political opponents, civil rights activists, and religious figures around the world.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.