WhatsApp says spyware company Paragon Solutions targeted journalists
Around 90 users of Meta’s chat service WhatsApp are suspected to have been targets of a spyware campaign conducted by Paragon Solutions.
Around 90 users of Meta’s chat service WhatsApp are suspected to have been targets of a spyware campaign conducted by an Israeli spyware company called Paragon Solutions, a WhatsApp spokesperson told NBC News.
The spokesperson said that the attack targeted a number of users including journalists and members of civil society “across over two dozen countries, particularly in Europe.” They added that Paragon Solutions has used a vector, a method to illegally access a network, to target the users and that “the vector involved using groups and sending a malicious PDF file.” The spokesperson added that the company has “successfully disrupted this exploitation vector.”
WhatsApp has sent Paragon Solutions a cease-and-desist letter following the series of attempted attacks. The spokesperson said that those believed to be affected have been notified through WhatsApp chat and have been provided information on how to protect themselves from spyware. Paragon Solutions did not reply to an immediate request for comment.
“These attackers look for vulnerabilities in apps or the mobile phone operating system or try to trick users into clicking on malicious links or downloading malware — all to gain unauthorized access that can damage your phone, steal your information and put your privacy and security at risk,” a WhatsApp help page on spyware reads.
Francesco Cancellato, the editor-in-chief of the Italian online newspaper Fanpage.it, published an article revealing that he was one of the journalists who was targeted by the attack. In the message that WhatsApp sent to Cancellato notifying him that he might have been affected, the chat service said that it had stopped the attack in December.
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