News Summary

WhatsApp, a messaging app owned by Meta, has accused the Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions of targeting nearly 100 journalists and civil society members using its platform. The attack involved a ‘zero-click’ method, meaning the targets did not need to click on any malicious links to be infected. WhatsApp believes the infection was delivered via a malicious PDF file sent to individuals in group chats. Paragon’s spyware, known as Graphite, allows total access to infected devices, including reading messages on encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal. This revelation comes after WhatsApp disrupted the alleged spyware campaign in December and sent a cease and desist letter to Paragon. The company is now notifying the victims of the breach. Paragon, founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, has recently been sold to a US private equity firm but awaits full regulatory approval in Israel. The incident raises questions about the accountability of commercial spyware companies like Paragon in the misuse of their software.