[Spain] Government claims officials were targets of Pegasus spyware

Just weeks after reports that Catalan activists were targeted by mobile spyware - likely from Spanish authorities seeking to undermine Catalonia's efforts to secede - the Spanish government has claimed its ministers were also being spied on, PCMag reports.

Spain says Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were both targeted by Pegasus spyware in 2021, according to The Guardian. The publication said Spain reportedly intends to have the illicit surveillance efforts investigated by the country's highest criminal court.

The NSO Group has long maintained that it only sells Pegasus to government organisations for anti-terrorism efforts or criminal investigations. Yet the sophisticated mobile spyware has been repeatedly found on smartphones used by activists, journalists, and government officials.

In April Citizen Lab said its investigation had revealed that at least 65 people - including "members of the European Parliament, Catalan Presidents, legislators, jurists, and members of civil society organizations" and their family members - with ties to Catalonia were targeted by spyware.

"While we do not currently attribute this operation to specific governmental entities," Citizen Lab said in its report on ‘CatalanGate’, "circumstantial evidence suggests a strong nexus with the government of Spain, including the nature of the victims and targets, the timing, and the fact that Spain is reported to be a government client of NSO Group."

In a statement provided to The Guardian, NSO Group said spying on "politicians, dissidents, activists, and journalists is a severe misuse of any technology and goes against the desired use of such critical tools. [NSO] does not and cannot know who the targets of its customers are, yet implements measures to ensure that these systems are used solely for the authorised uses."

The NSO Group - and other Israeli spyware firms, including Candiru, whose surveillance tools were also discovered targeting Catalan activists - has reportedly faced increasing scrutiny around the world for its role in enabling surveillance in democratic societies without public oversight.

The Guardian reports that the Spanish government is also investigating the phones of other officials to determine whether or not they were targeted by Pegasus as well.

Source: PCMag

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

Just weeks after reports that Catalan activists were targeted by mobile spyware - likely from Spanish authorities seeking to undermine Catalonia's efforts to secede - the Spanish government has claimed its ministers were also being spied on, PCMag reports.

Spain says Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were both targeted by Pegasus spyware in 2021, according to The Guardian. The publication said Spain reportedly intends to have the illicit surveillance efforts investigated by the country's highest criminal court.

The NSO Group has long maintained that it only sells Pegasus to government organisations for anti-terrorism efforts or criminal investigations. Yet the sophisticated mobile spyware has been repeatedly found on smartphones used by activists, journalists, and government officials.

In April Citizen Lab said its investigation had revealed that at least 65 people - including "members of the European Parliament, Catalan Presidents, legislators, jurists, and members of civil society organizations" and their family members - with ties to Catalonia were targeted by spyware.

"While we do not currently attribute this operation to specific governmental entities," Citizen Lab said in its report on ‘CatalanGate’, "circumstantial evidence suggests a strong nexus with the government of Spain, including the nature of the victims and targets, the timing, and the fact that Spain is reported to be a government client of NSO Group."

In a statement provided to The Guardian, NSO Group said spying on "politicians, dissidents, activists, and journalists is a severe misuse of any technology and goes against the desired use of such critical tools. [NSO] does not and cannot know who the targets of its customers are, yet implements measures to ensure that these systems are used solely for the authorised uses."

The NSO Group - and other Israeli spyware firms, including Candiru, whose surveillance tools were also discovered targeting Catalan activists - has reportedly faced increasing scrutiny around the world for its role in enabling surveillance in democratic societies without public oversight.

The Guardian reports that the Spanish government is also investigating the phones of other officials to determine whether or not they were targeted by Pegasus as well.

Source: PCMag

(Links and quotes via original reporting)