Spain says its PM's and defense minister's phones were infected by NSO's Pegasus spyware in 2021, which will be investigated by Spain's highest criminal court
Minister for presidency says ‘illicit’ targeting will be investigated by Spain's highest criminal court
Context & Ripple Effects
Pegasus abuse allegations had already triggered an Israeli government inspection of NSO and a French referral to prosecutors after malware was found on journalists’ phones. Spain now moves the issue from reporting and technical findings into a criminal-court investigation involving its own senior government officials.
The case adds a state-level victim claim to the wider commercial-spyware scrutiny documented in the investigation of NSO and the Pegasus industry, raising the stakes for both the vendor and the actors behind any illicit targeting.
First-order effects
- Spain’s highest criminal court will examine the alleged infections and identify whether the targeting of the prime minister and defense minister was unlawful.
- NSO faces intensified legal and reputational scrutiny as Pegasus is alleged to have compromised two of Spain’s most senior officials.
Second-order effects
- The Spanish proceeding reinforces the prosecutorial path already taken in France, putting pressure on governments and investigators to treat Pegasus allegations as potential criminal matters rather than solely security incidents.
- NSO’s government customers face greater exposure where forensic findings connect Pegasus use to unauthorized surveillance of officials or journalists.
Third-order effects
- If national courts continue to pursue Pegasus cases independently, commercial spyware vendors will face accountability fragmented across victim countries rather than confined to oversight in their home jurisdiction.
The trend: Commercial spyware allegations are moving from technical exposure and vendor investigations toward criminal inquiries in countries whose officials and citizens report being targeted.