WhatsApp alerts journalists and civil society members about possible device breaches involving Israeli spyware firm

02/04/2025 / By Laura Harris

Nearly 100 journalists and civil society members were notified of possible device breaches involving sophisticated spyware from Israeli firm Paragon Solutions.
The hackers likely targeted individuals in December through a zero-click attack, potentially via a malicious PDF file sent in group chats, compromising the targets without any user interaction.
The messaging platform issued a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon Solutions, reported the incident to law enforcement and Citizen Lab, and pushed a fix to prevent future attacks.
WhatsApp’s findings raise serious concerns about Paragon’s ethical claims, as the company is known to provide spyware to government clients for surveillance and intelligence gathering.
This incident highlights the ongoing issues with commercial spyware companies, with experts noting that abuses are a feature of the industry rather than isolated incidents.

Meta’s messaging app WhatsApp has notified nearly 100 journalists and civil society members of possible device breaches involving sophisticated spyware from Israeli firm Paragon Solutions, an Israeli spyware maker.

According to the official statement of WhatsApp, the hackers likely targeted the affected individuals in December through a zero-click attack, a highly advanced form of cyber intrusion that doesn’t require any user interaction. The messaging platform believes the attack may have been initiated via a malicious PDF file sent in group chats to compromise targets.

Upon detecting the attack, WhatsApp issued a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon Solutions, demanding that the company cease its operations that violate user privacy. The messaging platform has also reported the incident to law enforcement agencies and Citizen Lab, a Canadian watchdog organization known for investigating state-sponsored surveillance.

Moreover, WhatsApp spokesperson Zade Alsawah disclosed that the company has reached out directly to individuals believed to have been affected and has pushed a fix to prevent the mechanism used in the hack. (Related: WhatsApp HACKED: Nearly 500 million phone numbers from 84 countries and territories put up for sale.)

“We’ve reached out directly to people who we believe were affected. This is the latest example of why spyware companies must be held accountable for their unlawful actions. WhatsApp will continue to protect people’s ability to communicate privately,” Alsawah said.

The identity of the attackers remains unknown, though Paragon Solutions is known for providing its spyware to government clients worldwide. The company’s software is often used for surveillance and intelligence-gathering purposes.

Paragon’s ethical claims under fire as WhatsApp unveils use of graphite spyware

Paragon’s official website advertises “ethically based tools, teams and insights to disrupt intractable threats” and claims to only sell its products to governments in stable democratic countries.

However, WhatsApp’s findings suggest otherwise.

WhatsApp has uncovered the use of Paragon’s Graphite spyware in a recent incident, raising serious concerns about the ethical practices and misuse of commercial spyware by companies like Paragon. This comes after a series of high-profile legal challenges against Israeli spyware firms, including NSO Group.

In line with all this, Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton commented that these incidents are “a reminder that mercenary spyware continues to proliferate and as it does, so we continue to see familiar patterns of problematic use.”

Natalia Krapiva, a senior tech-legal counsel at Access Now, echoed a similar statement. “For some time Paragon has had the reputation of a ‘better’ spyware company not implicated in obvious abuses, but WhatsApp’s recent revelations suggest otherwise. This is not just a question of some bad apples — these types of abuses are a feature of the commercial spyware industry.”

In other words, the use of Graphite, Paragon’s spyware that allows total phone access, contradicts the stated commitment of the company to ethical practices.

Learn more about data breaches and hacking incidents at Glitch.news.

Watch this clip from Times Now discussing how to keep personal WhatsApp accounts safe from potential hackers.

This video is from the channel EuropeChannel on Brighteon.com.