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Join on Telegram Rabat – Phones belonging to Spain’s prime minister and defense minister were reportedly hacked in 2021 with the Israeli-made spyware Pegasus.
The hack resulted in a “significant” breach of data, according to Spanish official sources quoted in converging news reports published on Monday.
Spanish official sources said that the cellphone of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were both compromised with the Israeli spyware in May of last year.
Sanchez’s mobile phone was hacked twice in May 2021, while Robles’ mobile phone was targeted once in June of the same year, according to Spanish officials.
The hacks are believed to have resulted in a substantial amount of leaked data, and reports of the breaches are now transferred to Spain’s National Court for investigation.
Pegasus is a spyware that Israel maintains is only available for governments. Spanish official statements seem in line with the proposition as he said that the source of the attack is “state organisms.”
“The unauthorized intervention comes from outside state organisms and it didn’t have judicial authorization,” said Felix Bolanos, Spain’s Presidency Minister.
Commenting on the case, NSO Group, the Israeli cyber security, and offensive company that owns Pegasus, said it could not locate the parties behind the attack.
This is not the first time that reports have emerged of Pegasus being used to spy on top government officials. Last summer, the Project Pegasus global investigation alleged that the NSO software was used to target senior politicians and political activists in Morocco, France, and Pakistan.
Responding to these reports, NSO Group said repeatedly that the spyware’s initial purpose is to help governments strengthen national security and fend off terrorist activities.
Using the software to spy on politicians, activists, and journalists is a “severe misuse” of the technology, NSO Group said in a statement, adding: “We have committed before that we will investigate any suspicion of misuse, and will cooperate and assist with any governmental investigation of these issues.”
Read Also: Pegasus: How Reliable Are The Leaks?
