Government Officials Targeted by Phone Spyware: What This Means for Your Privacy

Stelios Kouloglou, a former member of the European Parliament who was investigating abuses of commercial spyware, was infected with Pegasus spyware on his own phone twice while serving. Pegasus is sophisticated spyware that can secretly access everything on a smartphone, including messages, photos, emails, and even turn on the camera and microphone without the owner knowing. While most families won't be targeted by this specific spyware, which is expensive and typically used against politicians, journalists, and activists, this incident shows how vulnerable our phones really are. If a government official investigating spyware can be infected, it highlights that no phone is completely safe from determined attackers. The tools that governments use eventually influence what regular criminals can access.

Here's what you should do to protect your phone:

1. Keep your phone's operating system updated at all times. Install updates as soon as they're available.
2. Only download apps from official app stores like Apple's App Store or Google Play Store.
3. Don't click on links in unexpected text messages, even if they appear to come from someone you know.
4. Restart your phone at least once a week, as this can disrupt some types of spyware.
5. Be cautious about what you share on your phone, especially highly sensitive personal information. For long-term protection, treat your smartphone like you would your home. Lock it with a strong passcode, be selective about what you let in, and pay attention to unusual behavior like battery draining quickly or the phone getting hot when you're not using it. These can be signs of problems. No device is perfectly secure, but basic precautions go a long way.