Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli group NSO, has been found in the cell phone of Polish opposition leader Krzysztof Brejza.
Brejza’s phone was hacked more than 30 times while leading the opposition election campaign in 2019, according to a Canadian Citizen Lab analysis of the senator’s phone.
As a result of the hack, several text messages were stolen from the phone, then manipulated and broadcast on Polish public television as part of a smear campaign.
The elections in Poland ended in a narrow victory for the right-wing populist government party Law and Justice (PiS), but Brejza is now wondering if that went well.
Lawyers
Earlier this week it was learned that the same spyware was found in the phone of Polish lawyer Roman Giertych, who before the 2019 elections represented two of the country’s main opposition politicians, the former prime minister. Donald Tusk and former Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.
The Pegasus software was also found on the phone of Attorney General Ewa Wrzosek, who led the criticism of the Polish government’s attacks on the independence of the Polish judiciary. The hack was detected during an investigation carried out by Citizen Lab in collaboration with the AP news agency.
Purchased software
Polish independent broadcaster TVN revealed in 2019 that Polish environmental crime bought spyware for use in phones for $ 8 million, but it is not known which country or company it was purchased from.
Pegasus software has already been found on the phones of political leaders, regime critics, human rights activists, lawyers, journalists and others around the world.
Israel Approved
The United States has blacklisted the NSO group, and the company is also being sued by computer giant Apple.
The Israeli company denies any wrongdoing and claims that the software was only sold to police and security services for use in the fight against terrorism and crime.
The company also points out that spyware is only sold to countries with permission from the Israeli Defense Ministry.
NSO Group refuses to indicate which countries have had access to the software or whether Poland is one of them.
(© NTB)
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