European Parliament’s defense subcommittee members discover spyware on their phones, leading to heightened cybersecurity measures amid concerns of foreign interference ahead of the EU election in June
Feb. 21, 2024
The European Parliament disclosed on Wednesday that it has detected spyware on the phones of elected officials and staff within its defense subcommittee.
According to an internal email, members and staff of the chamber’s subcommittee on security and defense have been targeted by intrusive surveillance software.
All lawmakers in the subcommittee have been advised to bring their phones to Parliament’s IT service for examination to identify and remove any spyware.
The European Parliament is currently on high alert for cyberattacks and foreign interference, especially with the upcoming EU election in June.
The discovery of spyware traces on a member’s phone during a routine check on Tuesday has raised concerns within the subcommittee.
What happened before?
This incident adds to previous occurrences of European Parliament members being targeted by spyware. In 2022, it was revealed that the phones of members of the Catalan independence movement, including EU politicians, were infected with Pegasus and Candiru, two types of hacking tools.
Additionally, Greek EU Parliament member and opposition leader Nikos Androulakis was among several Greek political figures found to have been targeted with Predator spyware in the same year. There was also an attempted hacking using spyware against Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola.
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