Raghav Chadha asks Centre to investigate spyware attacks on politicians and journalists in Rajya Sabha

Raghav Chadha raises concern over State-sponsored cyberattacks on politicians and journalists, urges Centre to investigate.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday raised the issue of State-sponsored cyberattacks on politicians and journalists in the House and asked the Centre to investigate such attacks. Calling it an attack on privacy, Mr. Chadha said that several opposition leaders had last year claimed they received an alert from Apple warning them of “State-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise”. He asked the government if it had taken cognisance of such attacks. “I, along with several members of this House, particularly who sit on opposition benches, were victims of something called State-sponsored spyware attack whereby our mobile phones informed us that a State-sponsored cyberattack took place which was attempting to infiltrate our mobile phone devices,” Mr. Chadha said.

He said that not just the members of Parliament but journalists and eminent people were also victims of such attack.

“Therefore, I ask you whether the government has taken cognisance of such attacks. Is there a list of people who were attacked by such spyware. What action has been taken?” Mr. Chadha asked.