State hackers tried to hack EU officials with Israeli spyware
At least five senior European Commission officials were targeted last year by state hackers who wanted to hack into their iPhones using Israeli spyware, Reuters writes. It is not clear who was behind the attack. NSO denies being involved in the attack.
The five EC employees received a warning from Apple about the hacks last November, reports Reuters. Of the five civil servants, Didier Reynders is the only one mentioned by name. Reynders is one of the 27 Commissioners of the European Commission, comparable to the ministers of a country. Reynders is responsible for justice within the Commission.
Apple announced last year that it would notify users if one of their devices was infected with spyware. The company only warns users about “highly sophisticated attacks” carried out or supported by states. Reuters says it has seen emails and other documents showing that the hackers were using Israeli tools. It is not clear who was behind the attack and whether they were successful in the hacks.
Security researchers tell Reuters that the recipients of the Apple alerts were targeted by hackers between February and September last year, using ForcedEntry. This is a tool from the Israeli NSO Group with which iPhones can be taken over remotely without the user of that iPhone noticing. A smaller Israeli company called QuaDream has developed a similar tool, the news agency said.
NSO denies to Reuters that it is responsible for the hacking attacks and also says that the described hacks cannot be done with NSO tools. The company says it wants to work with the European Commission to investigate the attacks and calls on governments to make rules for the spyware industry. It is not clear whether the EU is still investigating the hacks. QuaDream did not respond to questions from Reuters.
A commission of inquiry with several members of the European Parliament will investigate the use of spyware against politicians and activists in Europe. This committee starts on April 19. Sophie in ‘t Veld, parliamentarian and rapporteur for the committee, says she also wants to include the hacking of EU officials in the investigation.