European Parliament member hacked with Pegasus spyware

A member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs was infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware in 2025, according to a Citizen Lab investigation [Citizen Lab]. The report links the intrusion to a zero‑click exploit that compromised the MEP’s smartphone without any user interaction, a technique previously seen in attacks on journalists and human‑rights defenders.

── What happened ──

Citizen Lab’s forensic analysis traced the malicious payload to a Pegasus build released in early 2025. The spyware exfiltrated contacts, messages and location data before the device was wiped. The victim, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the breach was discovered after unusual network activity was flagged by their IT team. The same report notes that Pegasus has been used in at least 30 high‑profile cases since 2016, targeting government officials, journalists and activists across Europe and the Middle East.

── Why it matters ──

The incident demonstrates that Pegasus remains a viable tool for state‑linked actors seeking to surveil elected officials. It also underscores the limits of existing security measures: end‑to‑end encryption and standard antivirus solutions did not detect the intrusion. Finally, the case adds pressure on regulators to tighten export controls on offensive cyber tools, a topic already under debate in the EU’s Digital Services Act discussions.

The hack reinforces calls for stronger cyber‑hygiene protocols within parliamentary offices and for coordinated international action to curb the sale of surveillance software.