Researchers find Pegasus on Serbian university rector’s phone
Citizen Lab and the SHARE Foundation found that Vladan Djokic’s iPhone had been hacked. A former prosecutor also received a spyware warning, but investigators could not confirm his phone was breached.
University of Belgrade rector Vladan Djokic’s iPhone was hacked with Pegasus spyware, Reuters reported on October 19, citing a joint investigation by Citizen Lab and the SHARE Foundation. The finding comes ahead of Serbia’s parliamentary election scheduled for Sunday, amid student-led protests and earlier reports of spyware targeting in the country.
The two groups identified Pegasus, a surveillance tool made by Israel’s NSO Group, on Djokic’s phone, according to Reuters. Djokic has expressed solidarity with student protesters and has faced pressure from Serbian authorities. The investigators’ finding establishes that his device was compromised; Reuters did not identify who carried out the attack.
What the warning to Rade Bajic establishes
Former prosecutor Rade Bajic told Reuters that Apple warned him on August 13 that his phone had been targeted with ‘mercenary spyware’. Bajic and Citizen Lab could not establish whether his phone was hacked or how a breach might have happened. Apple confirmed sending a batch of warnings that day but did not directly address either man’s case.
Bajic said he had been involved in prosecuting senior officials over allegations that they improperly removed cultural protections from a historic Belgrade army compound. An investment company founded by Jared Kushner had planned to redevelop the site, but withdrew from the project late last year, saying it did so out of respect for Belgrade and its people.
Bajic said he believed his involvement in the compound case was the sole reason for what he called an unlawful spyware attack. That is his assessment of the motive; the warning does not establish who targeted him. Serbia’s Interior Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, and officials have previously dismissed allegations of cyberespionage.
Earlier spyware findings in Serbia
Citizen Lab’s surveillance page describes an earlier investigation with the SHARE Foundation that confirmed a Pegasus infection on the iPhone of a member of Serbia’s student movement. That finding, published in September, concerns a separate case and provides context for the groups’ latest investigation.
The SHARE Foundation said last month that at least 14 people, including students, activists and opposition party members, had been targeted with advanced spyware ahead of local elections in March. It said at least one device had been compromised with Pegasus. Those earlier cases do not establish who was responsible for the targeting reported on October 19.
NSO did not respond to Reuters’ emails. The company says it sells only to governments and has previously said it would end commercial relationships that resulted in serious wrongdoing. Reuters reported that the United States blacklisted NSO in 2021 following years of reports of alleged human rights abuses.
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Sources and context
- Two Serbian opposition figures targeted with spyware, research group saysThe Straits Times (Reuters)
- Pegasus Spyware Infection of Serbian Pro-Democracy Student ActivistThe Citizen Lab
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.