In response to concerns, the Italian government has denied any involvement, stating that it “excludes” allegations of intelligence agencies spying on journalists and activists. Among the known victims are an investigative journalist covering Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right party, a migrant rights advocate, and a Libyan activist based in Sweden who has been critical of Italy’s policies.
WhatsApp’s security team has confirmed that the attacks leveraged spyware from Paragon Solutions, a zero-click surveillance tool also used by the U.S. government and its allies. The attackers reportedly sent malicious PDF files to compromise victims’ phones, but WhatsApp has since closed the security loophole exploited in the campaign.
Paragon Solutions, whose clients include government agencies, has not confirmed which countries it works with. While its executive chairman acknowledged partnerships with the U.S. and allied nations, no further details were provided.
The victims identified so far include individuals with phone numbers registered in Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Investigations continue as authorities assess the extent of the breach and potential implications for digital security and privacy across Europe.
Source: The Record from Recorded Future News
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