Citizen Lab Finds Pegasus on PEGA Committee Member’s Phone
Summary
Citizen Lab says it found Pegasus on Greek journalist and former MEP Stelios Kouloglou’s phone, with infections around October 2022 and March 2023. The operator remains unidentified; the findings renewed calls for device checks and action on PEGA recommendations.
Key points
- Citizen Lab reported finding Pegasus on Stelios Kouloglou’s phone, identifying him as the first PEGA Committee member publicly disclosed as targeted.
- Investigators concluded with high confidence that the phone was infected twice, around October 2022 and March 2023.
- The infections occurred while the committee was preparing hearings and drafting its report.
- Citizen Lab did not identify who was responsible; Kouloglou and other committee members could only speculate about the motive.
- The discovery prompted calls for regular device checks and implementation of the PEGA Committee’s recommendations.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Stelios Kouloglou
- Incident Type
- Pegasus spyware infection of Kouloglou's phone on two occasions
- Operational Impact
- Citizen Lab concluded with high confidence that Kouloglou's phone was infected around October 2022 and again around March 2023. The infections may have enabled surveillance, including listening through the phone, but the article does not confirm what information, if any, was accessed or taken. The perpetrator is unknown.
- Claim Status
- confirmed
People
Hannah NeumannA PEGA Committee member and European Parliament member who commented on the infections and the committee's device-security measures.John Scott-RailtonCitizen Lab senior researcher who commented on the risk of further infections among parliamentarians.Ron DeibertCitizen Lab founder and director who commented on the likely motive and implications of the targeting.Stelios KouloglouThe journalist and former European Parliament member whose phone Citizen Lab found infected with Pegasus twice.