US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists
a year ago
- #spyware
- #journalism
- #surveillance
- Spyware from U.S.-backed Israeli company Paragon Solutions targeted European journalists, including editors at an Italian investigative news site.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government faces scrutiny over potential involvement in spying on journalists and activists.
- Paragon's spyware, Graphite, was used to hack around 90 WhatsApp users, primarily in Europe, raising concerns about commercial spyware abuse.
- Meta (WhatsApp's parent company) patched the vulnerability, sent a cease-and-desist to Paragon, and won $168M in damages from NSO Group in a similar case.
- Citizen Lab found Paragon successfully infected Apple devices, targeting journalists despite backlash against spyware firms like NSO.
- Italian intelligence services legally surveilled activists using Graphite, citing national security concerns, but denied spying on journalists.
- Paragon lost its contract with Italy amid controversy, but maintains U.S. government contracts, including with Homeland Security and the DEA.
- A 2023 U.S. executive order restricts federal use of commercial spyware linked to human rights abuses, but Paragon's contracts remain active.