Serbian opposition figure targeted with Israeli-made spyware, research group says

Two Serbian opposition figures were recently targeted with cyberespionage tools, according to a report by Citizen Lab and one of the men. Serbian academic Vladan Djokic's iPhone was hacked using Pegasus spyware made by Israeli group NSO. Former prosecutor Rade Bajic received an Apple warning about mercenary spyware. The incident is the latest in a series of such cases in Serbia ahead of a parliamentary election.

Two Serbian opposition figures were recently targeted with powerful cyberespionage tools, according to a report issued on Monday by the Canadian cyber watchdog group Citizen Lab and one of the men. The incident is the latest in a series where researchers say surveillance technology was used against students, opposition politicians and others in Serbia, which will hold a parliamentary election on Sunday. Citizen Lab said that a joint investigation with the Share Foundation determined that Serbian academic Vladan Djokic's iPhone had been hacked using the Pegasus spyware tool made by Israeli group NSO. At the same time, former prosecutor Rade Bajic told Reuters he received a warning from Apple on August 13 that his phone had been targeted using 'mercenary spyware,' although he and Citizen Lab both said they had been unable to establish with certainty whether he was hacked or how a hack might have happened. Serbia's Interior Ministry did not return messages seeking comment. NSO, which was blacklisted by the US government in 2021, did not return emails. Both men have crossed Serbia's ruling party, which has been buffeted by two years of student-led anti-corruption protests. Djokic said in a statement that the hacking of his phone 'points to a serious attack on my privacy, security, and the integrity of the office of Rector' and called for those behind it to be punished. Bajic said he was involved in prosecuting senior government officials over allegations that they improperly removed cultural protections on a historic Belgrade army compound that an investment company founded by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had planned to redevelop. 'In my opinion, my involvement in this case was the sole reason for this unlawful spyware attack,' Bajic said.