Spyware owned by Paragon Solutions, a manufacturer of Israel’s hacking software, targeted nearly 100 journalists and members of civil society who use WhatsApp, a popular messaging app owned by META.
These individuals were warned of the potential for device breaches. WhatsApp informed The Guardian that the targeted user may have been compromised with “high confidence.”
The company has not disclosed the location of the journalists and civil society members in the United States.
WhatsApp sent a cease and desist letter to Paragon, indicating that they are exploring legal options. The suspicion of the attack arose in December, but it remains unclear how the targets were exposed.
“WhatsApp has identified the spyware campaign by PARAGON affecting many users, including journalists and civil society members. We have contacted those who appear to have been impacted directly. Companies that produce spyware must be held accountable for their illegal actions,” said WhatsApp.
The Guardian reached out to Paragon Solutions for comment, but the company did not respond immediately.
WhatsApp believes that the vector of infection for users was likely a malicious PDF file sent through a group chat. They have expressed “confidence” in linking Paragon to this targeting.
This story is still developing…
Were you affected? If so, please contact me at
Stephanie.kirchgaessner@theguardian.com
Source: www.theguardian.com
