In a letter sent on July 25 to MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said that iPhone maker Apple had told him in 2021 that his iPhone had possibly been hacked using Pegasus, a tool developed and sold to government customers by Israeli surveillance. NSO Group company. The warning from Apple triggered a search of Reynders’ personal and business devices as well as other phones used by European Commission officials, the letter said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register While the investigation found no conclusive evidence that Reynders’ or EU staff’s phones had been hacked, investigators did find “indicators of compromise” – a term used by security researchers to describe evidence that a hack had occurred. Reynders’ letter did not elaborate and said it was “impossible to attribute these indicators to a specific perpetrator with absolute certainty.” He added that the investigation was still active. Messages left for Reynders, the European Commission and Reynders’ spokesman, David Marechal, were not immediately returned. An NSO spokeswoman said the company would willingly cooperate with an EU investigation. “Our assistance is even more critical as there is so far no concrete evidence that a breach has occurred,” the spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters. “Any illegal use by a customer that targets activists, journalists, etc., is considered serious abuse.” NSO Group is being accused by Apple Inc ( AAPL.O ) of violating its terms of use and service agreement.
QUESTIONS FROM LEGISLATORS
Reuters first reported in April that the European Union was investigating whether phones used by Reynders and other senior European officials had been hacked using software designed in Israel. Reiders and the European Commission declined to comment on the report at the time. Reynders’ acknowledgment in the letter of the hacking activity came in response to questions from European lawmakers, who earlier this year formed a commission to investigate the use of surveillance software in Europe. Last week the commission announced that its investigation found that 14 EU member states had bought NSO technology in the past. Reynders’ letter – shared with Reuters by in ‘t Veld, the committee’s rapporteur – said officials in Hungary, Poland and Spain had or were in the process of being questioned about the use of Pegasus. In ‘t Veld said it was imperative to find out who targeted the EU Commission, suggesting it would be particularly scandalous if an EU member state was found to be responsible. The European Commission has also raised the issue with the Israeli authorities, asking them to take measures to “prevent the misuse of their products in the EU,” the letter said. A spokesman for the Israeli Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple’s notices, sent late last year, told targeted users that a hacking tool, dubbed ForcedEntry, may have been used against their devices to download spyware. Apple said in a lawsuit that ForcedEntry was the work of NSO Group. Reuters also previously reported that another, smaller Israeli company called QuaDream had developed an almost identical tool. In November, US President Joe Biden’s administration gave NSO Group a designation that makes it harder for US companies to do business with it after it found its phone-hacking technology had been used by foreign governments to “maliciously target” political dissidents around them . The world. NSO, which keeps its customer list confidential, has said it only sells its products to “vetted and legitimate” government customers. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Raphael Satter and Christopher Bing in Washington. edited by Grant McCool Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
