Meta's WhatsApp says Israeli spyware company Paragon targeted users: Reuters
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WhatsApp Says Israeli Spyware Targeted Journalists, Civil Service Workers
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Above: In this photo illustration, the WhatsApp logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen on Jan. 30, 2025, in Canada. Image copyright: Thomas Fuller/Contributor/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Facts
Meta-owned WhatsApp has alleged that around 90 users, including journalists and civil society members, were targeted and possibly compromised by spyware from Israeli company Paragon Solutions through a sophisticated zero-click attack involving malicious PDF files.
WhatsApp has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon Solutions and is currently notifying alleged targets across more than two dozen countries, while also referring them to the Canadian internet watchdog group Citizen Lab for further investigation.
The attack allegedly utilized Paragon's Graphite spyware, which provides complete access to infected devices, including the ability to read encrypted messages sent through applications like WhatsApp and Signal.
The Spin
Narrative A
While Israeli spyware has faced scrutiny, particularly regarding certain governments' access to these tools, this does not diminish the vital role Israel plays in global cybersecurity. Israel has pioneered advanced encryption, threat detection, and secure communications, protecting critical infrastructure worldwide. As cyber threats grow, Israeli innovation remains essential to safeguarding digital security on a global scale.
Narrative B
Israeli cybersecurity firms don't just develop spyware that happens to fall into the wrong hands; they are directly linked to intelligence agencies like Mossad and the CIA and used to target sovereign nations. For example, Pegasus was used in Mexico to surveil journalists, as is the case across the world. These agencies collaborate to illegally suppress dissent. Even the US government, which works with these companies covertly, was forced to blacklist NSO Group.
