Pegasus confirmed on Belgrade rector’s iPhone before elections
Original title: NSO Spyware Pegasus Hit a Serbian University Rector Six Days Before Snap Elections
Citizen Lab reports a high-confidence zero-click infection in 2026, bringing known Serbian civil-society spyware cases to at least 16.
Citizen Lab, working with the SHARE Foundation, says with high confidence that University of Belgrade rector Vladan Đokić’s iPhone was infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus in 2026 through a zero-click exploit. The case was found six days before Serbia’s October 25 snap parliamentary elections. Installed Pegasus can expose private messages and turn on the microphone and camera. Prosecutor Rade Bajić received Apple Threat Notifications, which Citizen Lab treats as likely mercenary-spyware targeting, but his infection is not confirmed.
Unconfirmed: Citizen Lab did not identify the operator, and Bajić’s infection is not confirmed.
- Authorities raided Đokić’s offices on March 31 and seized computers and servers.
- Bajić received Apple Threat Notifications on August 13 and August 27.
- Forensic analysis of Bajić’s device is still ongoing.
- A September wave included a student protester confirmed infected with Pegasus.
- Serbia’s security service called the September reports sensationalism and said it acts lawfully.
Impact: Full device access, including messages, microphone, and camera
| Product | Affected |
|---|---|
| Apple iPhone | — |
- 1.Enable Lockdown Mode and keep iOS updated.
- 2.Treat an Apple Threat Notification as compromise until an expert checks the device.
- 3.In Serbia contact the SHARE Foundation; elsewhere, Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline.
- Products
- iPhone
- Malware
- Pegasus
- Victims
- University of Belgrade
- Organizations
- Citizen LabSHARE Foundation
- Countries
- Serbia
From the original article
3 min read at securityaffairs.com
Citizen Lab confirmed Pegasus on a Serbian rector’s iPhone 6 days before elections, raising the known civil society spyware target count to 16. The Citizen Lab published a research note confirming that the iPhone of Vladan Đokić, Rector of the University of Belgrade, was infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware sometime in 2026. The infection […]
By Pierluigi Paganini · securityaffairs.com
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