Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has revealed that Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions targeted around 90 of its users, including journalists and civil society members. The company stated that it successfully disrupted the hacking operation and issued a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon after uncovering the attempt. A WhatsApp official confirmed the details to Reuters.
The official revealed that the company identified an attempt to compromise approximately 90 user accounts on its platform but declined to disclose specific details about the targeted individuals or their locations.
The official also confirmed that the victims included an undisclosed number of individuals involved in civil society work and media. However, the WhatsApp representative did not provide further details on the methods used to attribute the hack to Paragon, only stating that law enforcement agencies and industry partners have been notified.
WhatsApp confirmed that it successfully disrupted the hacking operation and is collaborating with Citizen Lab to support affected users. The company said its commitment to protecting user privacy and security. John Scott-Railton, a researcher at Citizen Lab, commented on the discovery of Paragon spyware targeting WhatsApp users.
Last month, WhatsApp achieved a major legal victory against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group. A federal judge ruled that NSO is liable under both federal and California state law for a 2019 hacking incident that compromised the accounts of over 1,000 WhatsApp users.