AP Exclusive: Polish opposition duo hacked with NSO spyware

By FRANK BAJAK and VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Security researchers say they’ve found spyware from the notorious hacker-for-hire company NSO Group on the cellphones of two leading Polish opposition figures. One is a high-profile lawyer hacked in the final weeks of pivotal 2019 parliamentary elections. The other is a prosecutor challenging the populist right-wing government’s attempts to purge the judiciary and punish uncooperative prosecutors. The Citizen Lab researchers did not determine who ordered the hack but both victims believe it was Poland’s increasingly illiberal government. A Polish state security spokesman would neither confirm nor deny whether the government ordered the hacks or is an NSO Group customer. He denied that the security services have engaged in politically motivated surveillance.