New Delhi: In Parliament, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha raised concerns about state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting politicians and journalists.
He called on the government of India to investigate these incidents, stating that several opposition leaders received warnings from Apple last year about attempts by state-sponsored attackers to remotely compromise their devices.
Chadha explained that both he and other opposition members had been notified of spyware attacks that attempted to infiltrate their mobile phones.
“I along with several members of this House, particularly who sit on opposition benches, were victims of something called State-sponsored spyware attack whereby our mobile phones informed us that a State-sponsored cyberattack took place which was attempting to infiltrate our mobile phone devices,” Mr. Chadha said.
He questioned whether the government was aware of these attacks, if there was a list of affected individuals, and what measures had been taken in response.
In July 2021, the Pegasus Project, a global investigation led by Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, revealed that the Pegasus spyware, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, was allegedly used to target journalists, activists, and politicians globally, including in India.
Pegasus can infiltrate smartphones, granting attackers access to messages, calls, and other data, and enabling remote control of the device.
However, the Indian government has denied involvement, asserting that such reports are attempts to damage its reputation and that all surveillance is conducted legally and in accordance with constitutional procedures.