WhatsApp Israeli spyware alert: What is it, users affected and other details

WhatsApp

Meta’s popular chat messaging service WhatsApp has revealed that Israeli spyware company Paragon Solution has targeted scores of its users, including journalists and members of civil society. The identity of the entity behind the hacking remains unclear. Paragon Solutions sells its technology to government clients like other spyware companies, but WhatsApp has not identified which governments or agencies are particularly responsible for this attack.

According to a report by The Guradian, WhatsApp also stated that it had sent a cease letter to Paragon Solutions and was exploring legal options to hold the company accountable. Notably, Paragon Solutions has an office in Virginia, USA, and is known for its Graphite spyware, a tool comparable to the infamous Pegasus software developed by NSO Group.

At the moment, around 90 users of WhatsApp are suspected to have been targets of a spyware campaign conducted by the Israeli spyware company, which is believed to target journalists and civilians. Meta has also not identified which governments or agencies were responsible for this particular attack. Interestingly, security experts noted that this was a ‘zero-click’ attack, meaning the victims did not need to click on any link or install any app on their phones to be targeted by this spyware.

Moreover, these alleged attacks were disrupted in December and the company is now working to support affected users and increasing the security measures in the app to prevent any such future attacks. This incident follows WhatsApp's ongoing legal battle against NSO Group, with a US judge recently stating that NSO was liable for hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019.