New research has warned that computer systems used by Downing Street may have been infected with spyware.

The findings were published by Canadian telecoms research group Citizen Lab. The company said that in 2020 and 2021 it observed UK Government networks that it suspected had been infected with Pegasus spyware.

These include those used by the Prime Minister’s Office and what was then the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), now the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

Citizen Lab said that it alerted the Government to these infections.

The group said it had connected the FCO infections to Pegasus operators linked to the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan. In addition, the spyware infection of Downing Street was associated with a Pegasus operator linked to the UAE.

Pegasus is a piece of spyware developed by Israeli company NSO Group capable of recording calls, copying messages and secretly filming users. Originally designed to target criminals, the software has been used by governments to spy on dissenting voices, journalists and human rights activists.

A list released in summer last year found that over 600 politicians and government officials have been targeted, spanning more than 50 countries.

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“The United Kingdom is currently in the midst of several ongoing legislative and judicial efforts relating to regulatory questions surrounding cyber policy, as well as redress for spyware victims,” Director and Founder of the Citizen Lab Ron Deibert said in a statement.

“We believe that it is critically important that such efforts are allowed to unfold free from the undue influence of spyware. Given that a UK-based lawyer involved in a lawsuit against NSO Group was hacked with Pegasus in 2019, we felt compelled to ensure that the UK Government was aware of the ongoing spyware threat, and took appropriate action to mitigate it.”

In similar news last week, reports found that several officials from the European Commission, including EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynderswere, targeted by spyware. The attacks were detected in November, when devices used by the officials were found to be infected with ForcedEntry, a piece of spyware developed by the same company behind the Pegasus spyware.

However, the identity of the attacker has not been verified.

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