14 DAY TRIAL // An emergency conference on cyber security was organized by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to review the need for further government action in the area of cybersecurity strategies. This occurs in the wake of reports that spyware was planted on his cell phone and that government employees were also infected with the malware, says AP News.
According to Gabriel Attal, a government spokesperson, Macron swaps his phones on a regular basis and takes the issue very seriously. Following a report this week by an international media consortium, it was revealed that Pegasus espionage software developed by Israeli business NSO Group may have been used in multiple countries to target activists, journalists, and politicians.
As revealed by Le Monde, a member of the consortium, Macron's mobile phone and the mobile phones of 15 other former members of the French cabinet were on a list of prospective targets for the malware in 2019 by a Moroccan intelligence agency. The Moroccan administration has categorically denied any participation in the incident.
The French government acknowledges the necessity of increased cybersecurity efforts in preventing and combating cyberattacks
Attal went on to say that investigations are currently underway to determine whether spyware was truly installed on phones or whether data was acquired. He stressed the importance of larger cybersecurity efforts to defend public institutions, such as hospitals. These key public facilities were utilized as targets for malicious malware in recent years.
According to Israeli news outlet i24News, a National Security Office officer, Haim Gelfand, stated on Wednesday that Macron was not a target. Additionally, the firm plans to investigate many occurrences that the consortium has mentioned and question clients about their usage of the system. He asserted that the firm has followed a careful process in determining who will be allowed to sell its equipment to.