WhatsApp: Global spyware campaign conducted by Israeli firm

NBC News reports that Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions was disclosed by Meta-owned instant messaging and voice-over-IP service WhatsApp to have subjected nearly 90 journalists and civil society members across 24 countries, most of whom are in Europe, to a spyware campaign that was disrupted in December.

Attacks involved the distribution of malicious PDF files to the targeted individuals, according to a WhatsApp spokesperson, who noted that Paragon has already been sent a cease-and-desist letter regarding the attempted intrusions. Individuals who may have been targeted were also informed about the spyware campaign, which was monitored by WhatsApp's security team alongside Citizen Lab. WhatsApp's disclosure — which comes more than a month after Paragon was purchased by major U.S. private equity firm AE Industrial Partners — highlights the increasing prevalence of spyware intrusions against journalists and other members of civil society, said AccessNow senior tech-legal counsel Natalia Krapiva. "Last time WhatsApp notified NSO victims in 2019, we have seen a flood of lawsuits, sanctions, and other consequences for this industry. But we need more action by lawmakers and the tech sector to reign in the industry as it obviously cannot police itself," Krapiva added.