PEGA Committee Member Hacked with Pegasus Spyware Amid Investigation

Stelios Kouloglou, a former member of the European Parliament and investigative journalist, was confirmed to have his phone hacked with Pegasus spyware during his tenure on the PEGA Committee, which investigated spyware abuses in the EU. The Citizen Lab's forensic analysis revealed that Kouloglou's device was infected twice, once on October 21, 2022, and again on March 6-7, 2023, using a zero-click exploit that took advantage of vulnerabilities in iOS. The timing of these infections coincided with critical committee activities, raising concerns about the security of lawmakers involved in such investigations. Kouloglou expressed surprise at being targeted, given his prior security measures. The identity of the attacker remains unknown, but the incident highlights ongoing issues with spyware misuse by governments. The PEGA Committee's recommendations for preventing such abuses have yet to be enacted.

Key Points: • Stelios Kouloglou's phone was hacked with Pegasus spyware during his PEGA Committee tenure. • The infections occurred on October 21, 2022, and March 6-7, 2023, using a zero-click exploit. • The incident underscores the vulnerability of lawmakers investigating spyware abuses.