Know Your Meme

Spain's 'Hot' Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Hacked By Pegasus Spyware, Prompting Memes About Thirst

May 2nd, 2022 - 12:51 PM EDT by Aidan Walker

(Twitter / @Capitana_espana, @FroilLannister)

It was revealed Monday that the phone of Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, was hacked and breached at least three times using the controversial Pegasus spyware. The Spanish government said it suspects the attacks came from an actor outside of the country.

Pegasus, which has been called “the world’s most powerful cyber weapon,” can use a text message or missed call to phish data from a phone. The spyware can collect passwords and even remotely activate the microphone and camera for surveillance. Pegasus was created by the Israeli company NSO Group in the 2010s and is classified as a “military export” — meaning the Israeli government gets to set strict rules about how it is sold. One rule set by the Israeli government is that Pegasus can only be sold to other governments, not to private organizations. Even so, many commentators believe the Pegasus spyware is too powerful and too widespread.

As detailed in a deeply researched New York Times report published this January, Israel has been accused of using Pegasus as a bargaining chip, selling it to governments with spotty human rights records in exchange for better relations. Those governments have been accused of using Pegasus to spy on opposition groups, journalists, international organizations and other countries.

The Spanish government says it doesn’t know who used Pegasus against its Prime Minister, but many Spanish memers did take the opportunity to make fun of Pedro Sanchez around social media platforms like Twitter.

Sanchez, who came to power in 2018 amidst several crises (the COVID pandemic, the migrant crisis and the Catalonian secessionist movement) seems to have the reputation of being a bit of a himbo. Not only is he purportedly very handsome (in Spanish, guapo), but he has also been accused of plagiarizing his public writings and speeches. Many of Monday’s memes speculated that the motivation of the Pegasus hackers must have been to find bathroom selfies (“las selfies en el baño”) of Sanchez.

Others suggested the hackers preyed on Sanchez’s vanity to enter his phone. A viral meme, pictured below, shows Sanchez accepting the Pegasus virus into his phone because a pop-up tells him that he is pretty.

Since Pegasus is a “no-click” spyware (meaning it can enter a phone without the target needing to open a link or a message) some memed about how stealthy the weapon is, speculating that it could get into their phone through a yogurt container.

Some others joked about how the Pegasus virus seemed a little "hot."

Another strain of memes argued that the original version of the Pegasus spyware had to be old Spanish women in villages, who apparently spy on everybody.

Sanchez may be the first world leader to publicly confirm a Pegasus breach, but he is far from the only one concerned about it. Catalonian nationalist politicians in Spain have accused Sanchez’s government of using Pegasus against them, and French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly had to get a new phone after learning he and people close to him had been targeted. The future of this powerful weapon is yet to be written, and it's likely this won't be the last time it makes headlines.

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