Moroccan Authorities Allegedly Attempt to Spy on Dutch Journalist Using Pegasus
In a startling revelation, it has come to light that Moroccan authorities allegedly attempted to spy on a Dutch journalist by employing the notorious spyware known as Pegasus, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group. This operation was reportedly orchestrated by Morocco's domestic security service, the DGST. According to a report by the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, a list of phone numbers that Moroccan intelligence sought to infiltrate between 2018 and 2019 has been obtained, which reveals a staggering 768 cyberattack attempts targeting 250 Spanish numbers. Notably, the phone number of Koen Greven, a seasoned correspondent for NRC and currently a sports editor at the ANP news agency, was included in this target list.
The implications of this operation are far-reaching, as it appears to be part of a much larger campaign targeting over 12,000 devices across more than 20 countries. The spyware in question, Pegasus, is capable of breaching privacy by accessing messages, photos, and even activating microphones and cameras without the user's knowledge. Greven expressed his understanding of why his number was targeted, given his frequent travels to Morocco and his reporting on the protests in the Rif mountains, which have historically drawn the attention of Moroccan authorities. He recounted an incident where the security service had requested his departure from the country during his reporting trips.
Despite the serious nature of these allegations, Greven remains uncertain if his phone was actually compromised. He has since ceased using the Spanish number that was flagged and does not plan to take any further action regarding the matter. The Moroccan government has consistently denied utilizing Pegasus spyware for surveillance purposes. Following earlier reports of such activities, Morocco even initiated legal action against several European media outlets, although these lawsuits have proven unsuccessful as reported by El Confidencial.
As reported by nltimes.nl.
