At least 14 members of civil society in Serbia were targeted with sophisticated spyware in the first months of this year. The Share Foundation described this as the “largest documented wave of surveillance” in the country to date.
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According to The Guardian, those affected include students involved in protests who have been confronting President Aleksandar Vučić’s government since 2024.
The case became public in August, when Apple warned users in 110 countries that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware.
In its analysis, Citizen Lab found that at least one Serbian activist had been targeted with Pegasus, software created by the NSO Group. Experts explained that infection with the software could give an attacker “full access to the device” and allow them to extract data from the phone.
The Share Foundation said that several of those targeted belonged to Serbia’s student movement. The movement grew into one of the largest student-led mobilizations in Europe following nationwide protests that began after the collapse of a railway station in 2024.
So far, there is no evidence that the Pegasus attack against the student was carried out by Vučić’s government. In the past, however, other spyware, including NoviSpy, has been linked to the Serbian authorities after being used against students in the country.
Ana Brnabić, speaker of the Serbian parliament and a senior official in the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, has dismissed claims that students were surveilled by state institutions.
“Absolutely not. I don’t believe a single word the students or Share have said,” Brnabić said in an interview with Euronews Serbia.
The Share Foundation believes that the suspected period of the attacks, which coincides with the March local elections, may be particularly significant. According to the organization, those elections may have been used as a test ahead of the snap elections scheduled for October.
“This is the largest documented wave of surveillance in Serbia to date,” said Andrijana Ristic, a policy adviser at the Share Foundation.
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, said forensic evidence and the notifications sent by Apple show that Serbia’s pro-democracy movement is facing aggressive use of mercenary spyware ahead of an important election cycle.
Milica Popović, one of the students targeted, described the attacks as “cruel.” She said the possibility that someone had entered her private space without her knowledge had left her feeling exposed.
However, Popović stressed that the attack would not deter either her or the student movement.
Pegasus, a program developed by the NSO Group, has previously been used against journalists, human rights activists and dissidents in various countries. For years, its use has raised concerns about surveillance and the misuse of spyware technology.
The NSO Group has been contacted for comment on the latest allegations.
