The European Parliament is facing a case of espionage discovered at the start of the week following a routine check. Spyware was discovered in two devices belonging to members of the SEDE, Parliament’s security and defense subcommittee. MEPs have since been informed that their smartphones would be examined.
MEPs are invited to have their smartphones checked
As explained Politico, on February 21, 2024, SEDE MEPs were informed by email of this check intended to check that they are not infected on their trick by spyware. The devices are checked by the IT service of the European Parliament. Vigilance is required since the June elections are approaching, the risks of political interference being high.
The matter is all the more serious as this subcommittee deals with sensitive issues linked to international politics, notably the war in Ukraine and the delivery of arms from Europe. However, it is not known how these infections took place and which state led this cyberattack.
Nathalie Loiseau confirms having been infected by Pegasus
Among those affected, Nathalie Loiseau (RE) confirmed in an interview with Point that his phone had been spied on. The software used is Pegasus, a spy tool that monitors the smartphones of opponents, activists and journalists marketed by the Israeli company NSO Group.
As surprising as it may seem in such a sensitive context, the IT security knowledge of members of the European Parliament is not said to be good. Politico explains that an internal audit dating back to December 2023 showed that MEPs and their teams were not up to date in this area and that they had not not “still achieved industry standards†.
The European Parliament’s IT service behind the discovery of spyware launched this smartphone verification system in April 2023. Since the start of the program, “hundreds of operations†were carried out.