WhatsApp says Israeli spyware firm targeted journalists and activists

The WhatsApp official told Reuters it had detected an effort to hack approximately 90 users of its platform

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WhatsApp, the popular messaging service owned by Meta, has accused Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions of targeting a large number of its users, including journalists and civil society members. In response, WhatsApp has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon, calling out the hack and pledging to continue protecting users' private communications.

The WhatsApp official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the platform had detected an attempt to hack approximately 90 users. While the specific identities and locations of the targets were not disclosed, the company confirmed that the targets included individuals from civil society and media. WhatsApp successfully disrupted the hacking effort and has referred the affected individuals to the Canadian internet watchdog group Citizen Lab for further investigation.

The official declined to elaborate on how it determined Paragon was responsible for the hack but stated that law enforcement and industry partners had been notified. The FBI has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the incident.

Citizen Lab's John Scott-Railton remarked that the targeting of WhatsApp users with Paragon spyware highlights the growing issue of mercenary spyware, a technology that is being increasingly used to spy on journalists, activists, and political figures. Paragon, like other spyware vendors, markets its surveillance tools to government clients, often claiming that they are necessary for national security and crime prevention. However, these tools have been found on the phones of numerous journalists, activists, opposition politicians, and over 50 US officials, raising alarm about the unchecked proliferation of such technologies.

Paragon Solutions, which was recently acquired by AE Industrial Partners, has previously positioned itself as a more ethical player in the spyware industry, claiming it sells its tools only to stable democratic governments. However, the recent revelations about its involvement in targeting WhatsApp users have cast doubt on this reputation.

Tech-legal expert Natalia Krapiva from the advocacy group Access Now stated that the incident revealed Paragon's troubling practices, suggesting that abuses are a common feature of the commercial spyware industry. The company’s response to the allegations remains unclear, as AE Industrial Partners has not yet commented on the situation.