Citizen Lab Reveals Spyware Investigator Was Himself Infected with Pegasus While Probing Spyware Abuses

A new Citizen Lab investigation has uncovered that Stelios Kouloglou, a Greek journalist and former Member of the European Parliament who served on the Parliament's PEGA Committee investigating spyware abuses, was infected with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware on his phone. The targeting occurred while Kouloglou was actively serving on the committee tasked with probing government use of surveillance spyware across the European Union, according to Cyberscoop.

"the first known case of a PEGA Committee member being compromised with the very technology they were investigating."

This makes the breach particularly striking: the committee was formed precisely to look into abuses of spyware like Pegasus, and one of its own members was compromised by the same tool, underscoring how pervasive such surveillance can be.

Forensic analysis conducted by Citizen Lab revealed that the attackers could have accessed sensitive material related to Kouloglou's work. As reported by Hacker News, "forensic analysis of his device revealed that attackers could have accessed confidential committee documents and deliberations related to the investigation of Pegasus and other spyware." This suggests the breach may have been aimed at sabotaging the committee's efforts or gathering intelligence on its proceedings.

Kouloglou, a Greek journalist and former MEP affiliated with the Left/Syriza party, was targeted while actively investigating the very spyware used against him. Both Cyberscoop and Hacker News note that the incident marks a significant escalation in the ongoing concerns over the use of commercial spyware against public officials and investigators.

The Pegasus spyware, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, is known for its ability to remotely infect smartphones and extract messages, photos, and other data. The revelation that a member of a parliamentary inquiry into such spyware was himself hacked adds a new layer of urgency to discussions about accountability and safeguards within the European Union.