Berlin suspects state actors are behind hacks similar to those involving Israeli-developed Pegasus
German lawmakers and government officials have been targeted in a spyware attack, Digital Transformation Minister Karsten Wildberger has said.
Berlin suspects state involvement in the targeting of officials’ iPhones, with affected users being notified of the vulnerability, Wildberger told German broadcasters ARD and ZDF on Monday.
“The whole matter is still under investigation,” he said.
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has described the threat as “mercenary spyware,” citing Israeli-developed Pegasus as a prominent example. The agency said state actors are frequently behind such attacks but has not identified those responsible.
The scale of the operation remains unclear. The BSI said on Monday that “other public figures” had also been targeted, but did not identify those affected or disclose their number.
The agency warned that affected iPhones should be treated as compromised, even though Apple’s notifications did not establish whether the attempted intrusions had succeeded. It advised those targeted to replace their devices, obtain new phone numbers, and transfer only essential data.
According to the BSI, such attacks can infect devices without any action by their owners, including through specially crafted messages that do not need to be opened. Once installed, spyware can potentially access encrypted communications, steal passwords, track locations, and remotely activate cameras and microphones.
Pegasus, developed by Israel’s NSO Group, is known for its ability to infiltrate smartphones without requiring users to click malicious links. The software has been used in nearly a dozen EU countries since 2016, including to monitor journalists, political opponents, and senior officials.
Similar Israeli-developed surveillance tools have reportedly been deployed in Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Spain.
In 2023, the European Parliament called for “more rigorous control mechanisms” to prevent spyware abuse, but the European Commission did not implement the proposed measures.
The latest incident follows the arrest last month of former German foreign intelligence chief August Hanning on espionage and treason charges. Hanning, who headed the BND from 1998 to 2005, is accused of obtaining classified documents for private consultancy work, including a report for an unidentified foreign intelligence service.
Evidence reportedly emerged during a separate investigation into allegations that Hanning recruited former Mossad chief Danny Yatom for a child abduction operation. Hanning has previously acknowledged maintaining close ties with senior Israeli intelligence figures after leaving office.
