Skip to main content
See every side of every news story

Serbian Rights Group Says 14 People Were Targeted With Spyware

Serbia

ZORANA JEVTIC/Reuters

ZORANA JEVTIC/Reuters

What Happened

SHARE Foundation reported that at least 14 people — including student activists, an opposition lawmaker and a local councillor — were targeted with advanced spyware in early 2026, calling it Serbia's largest documented surveillance wave. Citizen Lab and Amnesty's Security Lab confirmed Pegasus and NoviSpy infections, while authorities denied involvement.

What Happened

SHARE Foundation reported that at least 14 people — including student activists, an opposition lawmaker and a local councillor — were targeted with advanced spyware in early 2026, calling it Serbia's largest documented surveillance wave. Citizen Lab and Amnesty's Security Lab confirmed Pegasus and NoviSpy infections, while authorities denied involvement.

Where Sources Agree

  • arrows_inputSpyware Targeting Confirmed in Serbia: Initial reports confirm at least 14 civil society members in Serbia were targeted by advanced spyware variants, including Pegasus and NoviSpy, according to findings from the SHARE Foundation, Citizen Lab, and Amnesty International.
  • arrows_inputGovernment Denies Spyware Allegations: A number of outlets note that Serbian authorities deny involvement in alleged spyware attacks, dismissing the claims as "trivial sensationalism" while asserting that state agencies operate lawfully and suggesting the accusations serve foreign intelligence interests, according to Serbian government officials.
  • arrows_inputNSO Group Operational Scope: Outlets generally confirm that Pegasus spyware grants deep access to device messages and contacts, with NSO Group selling its technology exclusively to governments and facing a U.S. blacklist in 2021.

Where Sources Disagree

  • arrows_outputAttribution of Spyware Attacks: While digital rights groups and researchers point to evidence suggesting Serbian authorities deployed mercenary spyware against political opponents, Serbian officials deny these allegations as 'trivial sensationalism,' and some reports note that technical attribution to specific state actors remains inconclusive.
  • arrows_outputSpyware Targeting Count: Reports vary slightly on the number of individuals targeted by the spyware, with some sources citing 14 people affected, while others characterize the count as a dozen.

Timeline

September 3, 2026

Authorities publicly deny involvement: A day after the SHARE report, Serbian authorities — including the intelligence agency, President Aleksandar Vucic and parliamentary leaders — denied involvement and called the allegations sensationalism, while officials repeatedly said they had no information about use of such spying software.

September 2, 2026

SHARE publishes findings — 14 targeted: On September 2, 2026 SHARE Foundation published a report saying at least 14 people — including student activists, an opposition lawmaker and a local councillor — were targeted with advanced spyware (Pegasus and NoviSpy), and Citizen Lab and Amnesty International independently confirmed several cases.

August 13, 2026

Apple issues threat notifications: Apple sent threat notifications on August 13 after detecting likely mercenary-spyware victims, which led researchers to discover a wave of infections in Serbia in August. SHARE called the August discoveries the largest documented wave of such surveillance in the country to date.

Summaries by Ground AI

Sources

See All 75
View All Sources

Similar News Topics

News
Feed Dots Icon
For You
Search Icon
Search
Blindspot LogoBlindspotLocal