Around 90 users of WhatsApp are suspected to have been targeted by a spyware campaign conducted by Israeli company Paragon Solutions. The attack targeted journalists and members of civil society in over two dozen countries, particularly in Europe, using groups and a malicious PDF file. WhatsApp sent Paragon Solutions a cease-and-desist letter and notified affected users. Francesco Cancellato, editor-in-chief of Fanpage.it, was one of the journalists targeted. Citizen Lab helped track the campaign, which has the ability to turn a phone into a spying device. In 2019, WhatsApp sued NSO Group for aiding government spies in hacking phones, and in December, a U.S. judge ruled in favor of WhatsApp. Paragon Solutions was acquired by AE Industrial Partners, a competitor to NSO Group, but still operates in Israel. Attacks on journalists and civil society actors are becoming common, according to Natalia Krapiva of Access Now, and more action is needed by lawmakers and the tech sector to regulate the spyware industry.
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Paragon Solutions Accused of Targeting Journalists with WhatsApp Spyware
