Evidence of hacking detected on phones owned by members of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defense has sparked concern, leading to a call for comprehensive screening of all committee members’ devices. The discovery was made during routine checks on the phone of a subcommittee member and a staff member, prompting the Parliament’s press office to offer spyware screenings for all members and staff in the coming weeks. Given the sensitive nature of the subcommittee’s work, heightened attention is being paid to the security of their devices.
European Parliament elections scheduled for June have raised concerns about potential cyberattacks, especially in light of previous incidents of phone infections among Parliament members. In response, the Parliament’s IT department has initiated regular screenings for spyware on members’ phones, with hundreds of inspections conducted thus far. However, an internal review conducted last year concluded that the Parliament’s security measures have not yet met industry standards, leaving it vulnerable to state-sponsored and other hackers.
The discovery of spyware on European Parliament phones is not an isolated incident, with similar occurrences reported across Europe in recent years. Poland’s new prime minister recently revealed documents confirming the use of Pegasus spyware by the previous administration to target opposition members, adding to concerns about the misuse of advanced surveillance tools. This underscores the broader issue of commercial spyware abuse threatening democratic processes and privacy worldwide, as highlighted by cybersecurity researchers.
Previous investigations have revealed the use of advanced surveillance tools like Pegasus and Candiru on phones belonging to EU Parliament members, indicating a widespread problem across Europe. Several governments, including Poland, Greece, Hungary, and Spain, have been implicated in using commercial spyware for political purposes or to monitor journalists, prompting calls for stronger safeguards and oversight mechanisms to protect democratic institutions and individual privacy.
