Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Thursday, February 9, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

What can be done about spyware – and has anything been done so far?

Marketa Gregorova MEP by Marketa Gregorova MEP
10 May 2022
in Opinion
PEGASUS-SPY-SOFTWARE-FROM-ISRAEL
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Several members of my political group in the European Parliament have recently been the victims of a spyware attack – their systems have been compromised by the zero-click intrusive software, Pegasus. Rings a bell?

Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) It wasn’t until two weeks ago that we learned that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s mobile phone had been hacked by the infamous Pegasus software, however a great deal of ruckus already caused last year’s revelations regarding hacking the French president, several Polish and Hungarian politicians, and even journalists and various activists. And we’re still only talking about the known cases – the actual number of affected people can be expected to be much larger.

Last week these cyber threats were discussed in the European Parliament. Of course, taking into account the development of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. It must be said here that, despite its highly advanced cyber capabilities, Russia has so far failed to weaken Ukraine’s infrastructure and resistance. Undoubtedly with the huge contribution of American and British cyber missions, whose teams help to strengthen Ukraine’s cyber defenses. Low-cost cyber operations “from below”, led by “hacktivists” (the biggest group known as Anonymous) and proxy groups, also chip in this war.

Unfortunately, we as the EU are lagging in this area, even though our leaders themselves are facing an increasing number of attacks. And so, the question is clear: Will the EU citizens continue to be forced to hope that Anonymous will have the capacity to cover our backs one day? Or can we rely on ourselves in defending our critical infrastructure, data, and information?

Cyber operations may not yet win wars, but globally they are dynamically strengthening their impact in the areas of espionage, propaganda, fraud, and subversion.   That is why I and my Pirate colleagues are calling on the EU, whose defenses have major shortcomings in facing the threat of cyber-attacks. And given the extremely fragile geopolitical balance, this weakness can cost us European countries and citizens a lot.

It has been 6 years since the European Parliament began to think about regulating (not only) emerging technologies. I had the honor last year, as a rapporteur, of completing the dual-use regulation, which, among other things, brought transparency to spyware exports. The Commission must now publish a list of specific spyware that has been exported from the EU. Thanks to that, we know now that Pegasus and similar spyware have been sold through sister companies in Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Luxembourg. So I need to ask, and I am asking it repeatedly within the EU institutions: what would have to happen for us to finally decide to sanction a company like the Israeli’s NSO Group?

Tags: Brussels DirectMain-SliderMEPOpinion sectionspyware – and has anything been done so far
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Brussels Bubble
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Wider Europe
    • Member States
  • World
  • Business & Society
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Culture & Society
  • Policy Talks
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT