SPYWARE targeted phones at Downing Street and the Foreign Office, according to a leading espionage research group.
The Citizen Lab has told both the Prime Minister’s office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO, now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) that phones linked to the two were infected with Pegasus spyware, which is capable of reading text messages, tracking calls and collecting passwords.
Researchers have said there were “multiple suspected instances” of infections in 2020 and 2021.
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They allege the perpetrators in the FCO cases to be spyware operators linked to the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan.
The suspected infection at No 10 was allegedly carried out by an operator linked to the UAE.
The infections affecting the FCO could be linked to devices around the world, the Citizen’s Lab said.
Robert Deibert, the director of the Citizen’s Lab, said: “The United Kingdom is currently in the midst of several ongoing legislative and judicial efforts relating to regulatory questions surrounding cyber policy, as well as redress for spyware victims.
“We believe that it is critically important that such efforts are allowed to unfold free from the undue influence of spyware.
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“Given that a UK-based lawyer involved in a lawsuit against NSO Group was hacked with Pegasus in 2019, we felt compelled to ensure that the UK Government was aware of the ongoing spyware threat, and took appropriate action to mitigate it.”
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