PASOK leader-KINAL and MEP Nikos Androulakis filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court in Athens on Tuesday morning, complaining about attempts to hack his mobile phone with Predator spyware.
Androulakis reportedly discovered that someone was trying to infect his phone with Predator spyware by using the European Parliament’s service to detect spyware on MPs’ phones.
A thorough check of his phone revealed that he received a message in Greek on September 21, 2021, shortly before the start of the KINAL leadership race. The text message prompted him to click on a link that the University of Toronto’s Citizens Lab claims is being used as a bait to install Predator spyware.
Androulakis never clicked on that link…
On June 28, 2022, Androulakis used the European Parliament service for precautionary reasons, the results were received a few days ago. The first check carried out on his mobile phone revealed presence of a suspicious linkassociated with the illegal surveillance software Predator.
The Predator software is a surveillance tool that gives its operator full and permanent access to the target’s device. Predator allows the operator to extract passwords, files, photos, web browsing history, contacts, as well as identification data such as mobile device information. The spyware was developed by the Cytrox company from North Macedonia and is used mainly by the intelligence services of NATO countries.
Following the appropriate EP security protocol, which was immediately activated, a copy of the device was created so that a more detailed check could be carried out. Then, at the suggestion of the competent services of the European Parliament, an additional check was carried out. All checks confirmed the presence of a link to the Predator program.
Leaving the courthouse on Tuesday, Androulakis said:There was an attempt to hack my cell phone using the Predator software. It is my democratic duty, and not a personal matter, to reveal who is behind these unhealthy practices and who they affect.”
This disturbing revelation comes just months after a Greek journalist Thanasis Koukakis, financial editor of CNN Greece and a regular contributor to local and international media, found that he was under surveillance through Predator between July and September 2021.
PASOK leader Androulakis reportedly briefed, among others, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, as well as members of a committee investigating the use of spyware against MEPs and the socialist group of the European Parliament, and other responsible persons.
The PASOK-KINAL party is an “old-new” player on the political horizon of Greece. Having absorbed the politicians PASOK and KINAL, the party has good prospects for the next parliamentary elections. Moreover, given the mood in society, PASOK-KINAL has a chance to enter the ruling coalition, since neither the New Democracy nor SYRIZA, most likely, will be able to collect enough votes on their own.
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