WhatsApp has sent warnings to nearly 100 journalists and NGO members after it was revealed that their devices may have been compromised by spyware from the Israeli company Paragon Solutions. The cyberattack affects people with phone numbers from 14 EU countries. This is reported by UNN with reference to Ynetnews and Der Standard.
Details
90 journalists, activists, and other civil society figures in Europe were tracked using spyware from Paragon Solutions.
Reference
Paragon Solutions was founded in Tel Aviv in 2019 with the participation of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In 2024, it was sold to the American private equity firm AE.
Paragon Solutions offers spyware called Graphite. Paragon sells the software exclusively to the US government or its allies. The company does not disclose which countries are involved.
According to the Israeli portal Ynetnews, Paragon sees itself as a victim in the case of the cyberattack on WhatsApp.
How the cyberattacks were carried out
According to the Meta-owned messaging platform, the attacks exploited a so-called "zero-click" vulnerability, where the victim didn't even need to click on a link — the infection could be delivered via a malicious PDF file sent in group chats.
WhatsApp detected and neutralized the attempted attack. The identities of the perpetrators behind the attacks are currently unknown. However, there is a connection to Paragon. The spyware developed by Paragon Solutions typically targets government clients. WhatsApp has officially called on Paragon to cease its activities. Paragon Solutions declined to comment on the allegations.
Citizens in Italy were affected by the espionage campaign
A statement from the Italian government said that the cybersecurity service in Rome (Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale, ACN) contacted WhatsApp and its legal representatives. The authorities were then informed that seven Italian citizens had been affected by the espionage campaign. However, WhatsApp did not disclose their identities to the Italian government, instead stating that all affected individuals had been informed.
It was announced on Thursday that Paragon immediately ceased cooperation with the Italian government. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the spyware is used by two Italian authorities: an unnamed law enforcement agency and an intelligence service.
EU concerned about cyberattack
In Brussels on Thursday, it was noted that the investigation is the responsibility of national authorities.
The Commission expects national authorities to thoroughly investigate such allegations. The Commission's position is very clear: any attempt to illegally access citizens' data, including journalists and political opponents, is unacceptable if confirmed.
Addition
This is the first time Paragon Solutions has been named in such a case, but it is not the first time an Israeli spyware company has run into trouble. NSO Group, the company that developed the notorious Pegasus spyware, was found liable by a US court in December 2024.
NSO Group violated state and federal US laws by hacking the phones of 1,400 WhatsApp users in May 2019
Recall
The Star Blizzard hacker group, linked to the FSB, attempted to steal WhatsApp data from pro-Ukrainian organizations. The attackers used phishing emails with QR codes on behalf of the US government.