According to the independent Russian news website, Meduza, the CEO Galina Timchenko’s cellphone was hacked using Pegasus spyware. This incident is the first known case of Pegasus being used against a Russian journalist.
In February, just hours before joining a private conference in Berlin with exiled Russian journalists, Timchenko’s phone was hacked. Meduza suggests that the spyware may have been used to record conversations at the meeting by running in the background.
Access Now, a digital rights organization, and the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab examined data from Timchenko’s phone and confirmed the use of Pegasus spyware, as reported by Meduza.
Pegasus, developed by Israeli company NSO Group, is a spyware that can be remotely installed on a phone. It has targeted various individuals, including human rights activists, diplomats, journalists, and their families. The widow of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who claimed her device was hacked with Pegasus, is one such example.
Timchenko’s iPhone was completely compromised by the spyware, granting hackers full access to its microphone and cameras. The breach also exposed her personal data, such as her home address, scheduled meetings, and encrypted messenger correspondences.
Two weeks prior to the hacking incident, the Prosecutor General’s Office in Russia labeled Meduza as an “undesirable” organization, banning its operations within the country. Any association with Meduza, including financial donations, is now considered a criminal offense.
Meduza refrained from disclosing the identity of the attackers but speculated that Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan, both suspected clients of Pegasus, might have carried out the attack upon Moscow’s request. European countries like Latvia, Estonia, and Germany, where Meduza was founded in exile, were also among the potential suspects.
Meduza’s inquiries about the attack to NSO Group went unanswered.
Timchenko expressed her suspicion that the Russian state or intelligence agencies were responsible for the attack, considering the nature of her work. Meduza’s editor-in-chief, Ivan Kolpakov, expressed shock at the possibility of a European state’s involvement, emphasizing the potential devastating consequences for both exiled and European media.
