surveillance4 articles
The MEP Investigating Pegasus Got Hacked With Pegasus. Yes, Really.
Citizen Lab researchers have revealed that Stelios Kouloglou, a former Member of the European Parliament who served on a committee investigating spyware abuse, had his iPhone repeatedly hacked with Pegasus spyware during his tenure in 2022 and 2023. Forensic analysis found the attacks exploited a zero-click vulnerability in Apple's HomeKit software, potentially giving attackers access to confidential documents and committee deliberations. While no specific government has been attributed responsibility, Citizen Lab identified an overlap with a separate campaign targeting Russian and Belarusian-speaking journalists and activists in Europe, suggesting a Pegasus operator licensed to conduct surveillance across multiple EU countries was likely responsible.
Predatorgate Victims Sue Intellexa for €8M Over Greek Spyware Scandal
Eight victims of Greece's "Predatorgate" spyware scandal have filed an €8 million lawsuit against Athens-based Intellexa SA and 13 associated individuals, including founder Tal Dilian, seeking €1 million each in moral damages for having their devices hacked between 2020 and 2021. The scandal involved Predator spyware being used to target at least 87 high-profile Greeks, including journalists, lawyers, and intelligence officials, through malicious SMS links exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities. Key figures behind the spyware have already been convicted and sentenced in Greece, and several Intellexa entities were added to the US Treasury's sanctions list in 2024, though the Greek government has consistently denied any state involvement in the attacks.
Play Ransomware Claims MyPillow Scalp — Lindell Says It's a Political Stitch-Up
The Russian-language ransomware group Play has claimed to have stolen sensitive financial and personal data from Mike Lindell's MyPillow, setting a Friday deadline for the company to make contact before publishing the data. Lindell has denied the breach, dismissing the claims as a politically motivated "hit job" related to his gubernatorial campaign. Play has targeted over 900 organisations since 2022 and is known for data theft and extortion tactics.
China Is Bolting AI Onto Its Creaking Camera Grid. The Upgrade Is Significant.
China is upgrading its extensive legacy camera network with AI-powered systems from manufacturers like Hikvision and Huawei, enabling automated behavioral analysis, crowd detection, and text-based video search without manual review. The modernization follows a 2024 government directive issued after a series of violent attacks, shifting the system's focus from reactive individual identification to large-scale, proactive behavioral monitoring. Human rights experts and Anthropic have raised alarm, warning that the upgrades represent a far more sweeping surveillance capability that China could scale significantly by 2028.