Warsaw’s use of the controversial Israeli spyware on three government critics is probably just the start, according to one researcher
A cyber expert at security watchdog Citizen Lab has said there are probably more discoveries to come following the allegations that Poland’s government spied on three of its fiercest critics.
Speaking to AFP on Wednesday, John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Canada-based cybersecurity watchdog Citizen Lab said that Poland’s use of the Pegasus spyware “looks very bad.”
In July the Israeli spyware was exposed by Forbidden Stories. This Paris-based media non profit, led in conjunction with Amnesty International (and 17 other media organizations), conducted an investigation.
The NSO Group’s malware had been used to illegally access more than 50,000 smartphones. The potential clients identified included Azerbaijan and Bahrain as well as India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Hungary, India and the UAE.
Scott-Railton is convinced that the Pegasus spyware allegations against three Polish government oppositions are untrue “tip of the iceberg,”There is more.
In a scandal dubbed by local media as “Polish Watergate,” it is alleged that the government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki spied on Krzysztof Brejza, a member of the Civic Platform party, who coordinated its 2019 election campaign; and Roman Giertych, a lawyer involved in cases against the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
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Ewa Worzosek (prosecutor) is also accused. Citizen Lab was the one who made these allegations.
“Pegasus is a tool of dictators. Its use in these cases point to an authoritarian slide,” Scott-Railton added.
The Israeli software, which was found on the smartphones of the three individuals, grants the user the ability to read messages, look through photos, track the target’s location, and even switch on the camera without the knowledge of the phone’s owner.
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