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WhatsApp revealed that seven Italians, along with victims from over a dozen other European countries, were targeted by spyware in a widespread hacking campaign, according to the Italian government.
Italy’s cybersecurity agency, Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale (ANC), is investigating alleged hacking attempts by Paragon Solutions, according to a statement from the government on Wednesday.
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The statement appeared to deny that the government was behind the targeting, saying it “excludes” allegations that journalists and others have been “subjected to control by the intelligence, and therefore by the Government.”
Victims who have come forward include a journalist investigating Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right party, a migrant advocate, and a Libyan activist in Sweden who has criticized Italy.
WhatsApp lawyers briefed the ANC on the locations of the victims, the statement said.
The statement indicates that the targeted individuals have phone numbers linked to Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
WhatsApp stated that the attackers used Paragon Solutions spyware, a zero-click surveillance tool currently utilized by the U.S. government among others.
Paragon’s executive chairman, John Fleming, told TechCrunch that the company has the U.S. government and its allies as clients, though he did not specify which allies. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
WhatsApp reported that Paragon attempted to infect phones using a malicious PDF file and has since shut down the attack method.
