The Fortune Sánchez Allocates for the Purchase of Encrypted and Anti-pegasus Phones

Pedro Sánchez has decided to take on a new expense. With the aim of strengthening security in communications for high-ranking officials and public employees, Sánchez's government has launched a tender. The purpose is to award the telecommunications service of the State for the next four years.

This new contract, according to El Confidencial, foresees an investment of up to 504 million euros. Supposedly, it will cover all ministries and central administration bodies, except for the Armed Forces and Social Security. One of the main innovations will be the inclusion of an advanced protection service against cyber threats targeting mobile devices.

Designed to detect and block specific attacks, such as those carried out with the Pegasus spyware. This mobile telephony allocation represents up to 158 million euros of the total contract, according to the outlet. Additionally, it will also include improvements in the operating systems of mobile devices to ensure the security of calls and data.

The telecommunications tender is under the management of the State Secretariat for Public Function of the Ministry for Digital Transformation. According to the outlet, it prioritizes that the provider has an advanced protection tool.

This tool must be capable of detecting and preventing both known and unknown attacks. They include malware, persistence mechanisms, and commercial espionage, as well as threats from state actors.

A essential aspect of the tool will be its ability to identify and block attacks carried out with Pegasus. This is confirmed by the mentioned outlet.

Let's remember that in May 2022, the government reported that the phones of President Pedro Sánchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were infected with the Pegasus spyware. Although the responsible party has not yet been identified, investigations suggest that Morocco might be involved.

Sánchez experienced two intrusions on his device, with downloads of 2.6 GB (2.6 gigas) and 130 MB (130 megas) of data, respectively. Meanwhile, Robles was the victim of a single attack, in which 9 MB (9 megas) of information were extracted.

The complaint filed with the National Court has not progressed. This is because the company NSO, owner of Pegasus, has refused to cooperate with the investigation.