The European Union found evidence that its employees’ phones were compromised by Pegasus

The shadow of the Pegasus scandal is still there! A year after the first revelations about the Pegasus case, the NSO Group spyware is once again being talked about. A rebound that gives a whole new dimension to the situation.

The heart of the European Union compromised?

Reuters was indeed able to consult a letter from Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, dated July 25 and sent to Sophie in ‘t Veld, MEP. In this letter, the Commissioner explains that Apple contacted him in 2021 to tell him that his iPhone had been potentially compromised by Pegasus.

This alert triggered a scrupulous inspection of the personal and professional devices of Didier Reynders, as well as those of other employees of the European Commission, explains the letter.

While this detailed analysis did not provide conclusive evidence that the phones of the Commissioner or his team had been hacked, investigators did find “indicators of compromise”, a term used by security researchers to indicate that evidence exist which show that a hack has taken place.

The letter that Reuters was able to consult does not give more details. The Commissioner also explains that “it is impossible to attribute these indicators to a specific attacker with absolute certainty”. However, he said the investigation is still ongoing. Questioned by Reuters, NSO Group, which is in the hot seat, indicated that it was ready to cooperate with the European investigation. “Our help is all the more crucial as there is no concrete proof so far that a breach has been opened”, indicates a representative of the Israeli company to Reuters, before specifying, as if to clear customs. his company that “any unlawful use by a client to target activists, journalists, etc. is considered a misuse” of this tool.

Spyed on by a Member State?

However, this position is a tad hypocritical. Pegasus is a tool generally purchased by States and which is not intended for mass surveillance but to target specific people. If the sales brochures probably talk more about terrorists than activists or politicians, it is obvious that this kind of spyware opens the door to many overflows and violations of fundamental freedoms.

In a way, the fact that the mobile phones of some members of the European Commission have been compromised seems like a dizzying mise en abyme. Indeed, the investigation initiated by the European Parliament earlier this year discovered that fourteen member countries of the European Union have used this specific tool. Official representatives of certain member countries, such as Hungary, Poland or Spain are or have been questioned on the matter.

The European Commission could therefore have been spied on by one (or more) Member States. That would have everything from a scandal in the scandal.

Apple at war with the NSO Group and its ilk

Apple recently indicated that it had alerted targeted people in 150 countries around the world. For reasons of confidentiality, the American giant did not wish to give more details, on the countries concerned precisely or the number of people targeted.

Last November, Apple announced that it was taking the NSO Group to court, and going to war against mercenary spyware vendors, these companies specializing in the publishing of spyware sold at exorbitant prices to States. Earlier this month, on July 6, the Cupertino giant also announced Isolation, a set of specific settings that further protect iPhones from potential targets of such attacks and spyware.

Beyond Apple’s image, it is fundamental freedoms that are endangered and therefore the foundations of democracy. According to Ron Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which played a crucial role in the Pegasus revelations, such tools “promote the spread of totalitarianism and the violation of human rights throughout the world “. Given the times, it does not seem urgent to put an end to their use.

Source :

Reuters