The PEGA Committee was formed in March 2022 by the European Parliament to investigate spyware, particularly in relation to the alleged targeting of journalists, lawyers, law enforcement officials, diplomats and other people of influence in the EU.
The PEGA Committee’s most recent hearing consisted of several industry experts including Rowlan Corr, vice president of government relations at Enea.
“Spyware is the tip of the iceberg in mobile telecom surveillance,” said Corr.
“Vulnerabilities in mobile networks, and governance gaps are exploited by threat actors to execute unauthorised intrusions with impunity.”
Corr added that capability must be prioritized over mere compliance to combat the threat effectively, as the signalling security landscape continues to evolve over time
“This area of risk is not sufficiently understood, reported or integrated at national levels.”
“Critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and national security all intersect when it comes to mobile network security. And the key to improving resilience may lie in emphasizing capability over compliance on the part of stakeholders - be they operators, regulators, or cyber agencies.”
The potential for access to EU-based infrastructure to be used by third-country actors as a tool for surveillance, separate from the use of spyware, has increased significantly.
As 5G is continually adopted worldwide, there is a need for secure interworking between protocols, network elements and a need for secure interconnections.
