Hungarian official: Government bought, used Pegasus spyware

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A senior official with Hungary’s ruling party has acknowledged for the first time that the government has purchased a powerful spyware tool, which was allegedly used to target the digital devices of several journalists, businesspeople and an opposition politician. It was the first time a Hungarian official confirmed the government’s use of the Pegasus spyware, which infiltrates phones to collect personal and location data and can surreptitiously control the phone’s microphones and cameras. The official insisted Thursday that Hungary’s security services and Interior Ministry had acted legally in every case of surveillance. But opposition politicians have demanded answers to why Pegasus was used to spy on critical journalists and businesspeople.