In July 2021, the Pegasus Project revealed that the phones of Hungarian journalists belonging to one of the only remaining independent media outlets in the country were infected with Pegasus spyware. The investigation also showed that more than 300 Hungarian numbers were selected by Hungary for potential surveillance using Pegasus, including several journalists, lawyers, activists, public figures and academics, among others.
Four days after the first revelations of the Pegasus Project, the Budapest Regional Investigation Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had opened an investigation into the Pegasus case, under suspicions of illegally gathering information.
Eight days after the Pegasus Project, about 1,000 people protested in Budapest in reaction to the revelations of illegal surveillance of public figures by the Hungarian government.
In August, the Hungarian data protection authority (NAIH) launched an ex officio investigation into the use of Pegasus by Hungarian authorities.
In November, for the first time, a member of the parliament of the ruling party Fidesz acknowledged that Hungary’s Ministry of Interior had acquired Pegasus.
In January 2022, the NAIH concluded that there was no legal issue with the surveillance it had investigated, raising concerns over the independence of the data protection body within the EU.
The same month, six Hungarian individuals targeted with Pegasus, including four journalists, announced that they planned to sue the Hungarian state, the first legal case brought by Pegasus victims against an EU state.
In June 2022, according to the Budapest Times, the Hungarian Central Prosecutor's Office (KNYF) closed the investigation into suspected illegal tapping of the phones of several Hungarian journalists and opposition figures.
In September 2022, Direkt36 disclosed the behind-the-scenes of how the spyware was brought to Hungary, detailing the front companies and intermediaries involved. The news outlet reported that according to MPs who investigated the matter, Pegasus likely had been used in some cases in Hungary after the revelations of the Pegasus Project.