European lawmaker hit by Cytrox Predator spyware

The European Parliament has unearthed attempts to plant high-end surveillance software on the phone of a Greek lawmaker.

The firm, called Cytrox, was previously exposed as the makers of Predator, a tool capable of launching sophisticated exploits on Apple’s iOS-powered devices. Now the surveillance tool has been linked to an attempted hack of a phone belonging to a member of the European Parliament, a head of the Greek socialist party, Nikos Androulakis.

Androulakis said he received a text message on his mobile phone that read "Let's get a little serious about this, my friend, we have something to win” and contained a malicious URL capable of infecting the phone from a single click.

Androulakis did not click on the link and the attempted hack was only disclosed after the European Parliament started checking lawmakers' devices for signs of infections from high-end surveillance spyware.

In the same time, a ransomware operation has not only taken down WordFly, a mailing list provider for top arts firms among others, but also exposed information belonging to the US-based Smithsonian, Canada's Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.