Two European Union officials and documents seen by Reuters said that senior European Commission officials were the target last year of spyware designed by an Israeli surveillance company.
Among those targeted was Didier Reynders, a high-ranking Belgian statesman who has served as European Justice Commissioner since 2019, according to one of the documents.
At least 4 other UNHCR staff members were also targeted, according to the document and a source familiar with the matter.
European Union officials confirmed that two commission workers had been targeted, but did not give details.
The two officials said that UNHCR became aware of the targeting, which followed messages from Apple to thousands of iPhone owners last November telling them that they were "targeted by state-sponsored attackers".
It was the first time that Apple sent a mass alert to users that they were in the crosshairs of government hackers.
Warnings
The two officials added that the warnings immediately raised concern in the corridors of the Commission.
On November 26, a senior tech employee emailed colleagues with a background in Israeli hacking tools, requesting that they be on the lookout for additional warnings from Apple.
"Given the nature of your responsibilities, you are a potential target," the employee said in the letter seen by Reuters.
Reuters was unable to determine who used the Israeli spyware to target Reynders and his colleagues residing in Brussels, and whether the attempts were successful, and if so, what might the hackers have obtained?
Reynders and his spokesman, David Marechal, did not respond to repeated messages.
European Commission spokesman Johannes Barke declined to comment.
Apple also declined to comment.
targeting
Security researchers said those who received the warnings were targeted between February and September 2021 using ForcedEntry, an advanced program used by Israeli electronic surveillance company NSO to help foreign spy agencies remotely and take control. Invisible on iPhones.
Reuters previously reported that a smaller Israeli spyware company, CoaDream, also sold an almost identical tool to government clients.
In a statement, NSO said it was not responsible for the hacking attempts, adding that the targeting described by Reuters "cannot happen with NSO tools."
The company added that it supports an investigation into this targeting, and called for the establishment of global rules governing the spyware industry.
NSO faces a number of overlapping lawsuits, and US officials recently blacklisted it over alleged human rights abuses.
Koa Dream, which is keen to keep a low profile, did not respond to repeated messages.
check up
IT experts examined at least some of the officials' smartphones in an attempt to find a solution, but the results were inconclusive, according to two EU sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Reuters was unable to determine whether the commission was still investigating the matter.
On April 19, the European Parliament is scheduled to launch a commission to investigate the use of surveillance programs in the European Union, according to Member of Parliament Sophie Ente Welt, who supported the formation of this commission.
Ent Felt told Reuters it was not aware of the targeting of European Commission officials, describing the news as "resonant".
"We really have to get to the bottom of the matter," she added.
The commission was set up following reports that prominent opposition politicians in Poland had their phones hacked with Israeli spyware, and that prominent critics and investigative journalists in Hungary were also targeted.
Polish officials and a Hungarian ruling party lawmaker acknowledged that their governments had purchased NSO's software, although the two countries denied any wrongdoing over allegations of domestic espionage.