Investigators found a clue in the case, but did not interrogate the suspect.
In Greece, the investigation of a high-profile case of surveillance using spyware, which was actively used to illegally monitor high-ranking officials, continues. Despite this, the defendant in the case was never summoned for questioning, which raised questions about the transparency and completeness of the investigation.
The alleged sender used the services of SMS centers to send messages in bulk, which gave him the opportunity to disguise himself as regular numbers. Among the recipients were such well-known persons as former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, current PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, journalist Thanasis Koukakis and a number of other politicians, businessmen and journalists. Each message contained a link that mimicked a popular blog, but when you clicked on it, the device was infected with predator spyware. Access to the infected device allowed attackers to read private messages, monitor calls, and activate the phone's camera and microphone.
The investigation revealed that about 30 such messages were sent from one account registered in the name of "Cosmidis Costas" in September and October 2021, of which 17 reached the target. The account from which the messages were sent was created using a fictitious tax number and an invalid phone, but with a prepaid card issued in the name of Emilios Kosmidis. It is noteworthy that the defendant, according to him, did not suspect that the card issued in his name was used to pay for these transactions, and never reported its loss or theft. Subsequently, it was found that the card was also used to pay for hosting services on the Contabo platform, which provides cloud servers, which further indicates the presence of a professional scheme for sending spy messages.
In 2022, the Greek Data Protection Commission conducted an independent investigation into the complaint of Nikos Androulakis. Its results showed that the predator virus was used to attempt to hack 94 numbers belonging to both individuals and legal organizations. Not all attempts included SMS: some messages were sent through other messaging apps, such as Signal, which means that the scope of surveillance may be broader than official data indicate.
Questions are also raised by the fact that the investigation ignored other cases and could not identify all the alleged senders and defendants associated with this activity. In particular, as a deeper investigation has shown, 27 people who were exposed to the virus had other methods of surveillance, including with the involvement of the Greek Security Service (EΥΠ).
Despite significant evidence and the ability to uncover a chain of individuals associated with illegal activities, prosecutors have made no further attempts to find or question Kosmidis, raising many questions about the professionalism and objectivity of investigators.
Source
In Greece, the investigation of a high-profile case of surveillance using spyware, which was actively used to illegally monitor high-ranking officials, continues. Despite this, the defendant in the case was never summoned for questioning, which raised questions about the transparency and completeness of the investigation.
The alleged sender used the services of SMS centers to send messages in bulk, which gave him the opportunity to disguise himself as regular numbers. Among the recipients were such well-known persons as former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, current PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, journalist Thanasis Koukakis and a number of other politicians, businessmen and journalists. Each message contained a link that mimicked a popular blog, but when you clicked on it, the device was infected with predator spyware. Access to the infected device allowed attackers to read private messages, monitor calls, and activate the phone's camera and microphone.
The investigation revealed that about 30 such messages were sent from one account registered in the name of "Cosmidis Costas" in September and October 2021, of which 17 reached the target. The account from which the messages were sent was created using a fictitious tax number and an invalid phone, but with a prepaid card issued in the name of Emilios Kosmidis. It is noteworthy that the defendant, according to him, did not suspect that the card issued in his name was used to pay for these transactions, and never reported its loss or theft. Subsequently, it was found that the card was also used to pay for hosting services on the Contabo platform, which provides cloud servers, which further indicates the presence of a professional scheme for sending spy messages.
In 2022, the Greek Data Protection Commission conducted an independent investigation into the complaint of Nikos Androulakis. Its results showed that the predator virus was used to attempt to hack 94 numbers belonging to both individuals and legal organizations. Not all attempts included SMS: some messages were sent through other messaging apps, such as Signal, which means that the scope of surveillance may be broader than official data indicate.
Questions are also raised by the fact that the investigation ignored other cases and could not identify all the alleged senders and defendants associated with this activity. In particular, as a deeper investigation has shown, 27 people who were exposed to the virus had other methods of surveillance, including with the involvement of the Greek Security Service (EΥΠ).
Despite significant evidence and the ability to uncover a chain of individuals associated with illegal activities, prosecutors have made no further attempts to find or question Kosmidis, raising many questions about the professionalism and objectivity of investigators.
Source
