Spyware targeting escalates in Serbia against activists and students

At least 14 individuals in Serbia, including members of a prominent student protest movement and opposition politicians, have been targeted by advanced spyware in what the SHARE Foundation describes as the largest documented wave of surveillance in the country to date.

Investigations conducted by the SHARE Foundation, in collaboration with Citizen Lab and Amnesty International, identified the use of highly intrusive tools. This includes the first confirmed successful infection of a Serbian student activist by Pegasus, the spyware developed by Israel’s NSO Group. Pegasus allows attackers to gain near-total access to a device, including messages, photos, microphones, and cameras.

The surveillance appears to have intensified around the local elections in March and ahead of upcoming snap parliamentary elections. While there is currently no direct evidence linking the government of President Aleksandar Vučić to the Pegasus attacks, previous domestic spyware known as NoviSpy has been previously associated with Serbian state institutions. Serbian National Assembly President Ana Brnabić has denied the allegations of spying on students.