Spyware Chief Suggests Greek Government Involved in Numerous Phone Hacks

The founder of Intellexa, a spyware maker, plans to appeal a Greek court conviction related to charges of illegal personal data acquisition during a mass-wiretapping campaign. This incident, dubbed “Greek Watergate,” involved hacking into phones of Greek officials and journalists using Intellexa’s Predator spyware, which can access smartphones to extract call logs, messages, emails, and location data through malicious links. High-ranking members of the Greek government, such as the head of the national intelligence agency and a Prime Minister aide, resigned following the hacking revelations. However, no officials have been convicted, leading critics to accuse the Mitsotakis administration of a cover-up. Intellexa founder Tal Dilian received an eight-year prison sentence in February and announced plans to contest the ruling, claiming he won’t be a “scapegoat.” His comment implies potential government involvement in authorizing the hacks. Dilian mentioned to Reuters his intention to provide evidence to regulators and highlighted that governments are typically accountable for lawful use of surveillance tech like Predator. Dilian did not comment to TechCrunch, and the Greek embassy in Washington did not respond. In 2024, the U.S. government sanctioned Dilian after Predator targeted U.S. officials and journalists, banning business transactions with him and related associates.