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Meta-owned WhatsApp has reported that about 100 journalists and civil society members using its platform were targeted by spyware developed by an Israeli cybersecurity firm, Paragon Solutions. The Guardian reported in a report on Friday that WhatsApp has informed the affected users and said with 'high confidence' that some devices were compromised by the attacks. Let us tell you that Pegasus was also in the news some time ago. Paragon is also a similar type of spyware.

'Zero-click' attack

The identity of the organization behind the hacking is not yet clear. Paragon Solutions, like other spyware companies, sells its technology to government clients, but WhatsApp has not said which governments or agencies were responsible for this particular attack. Security experts noted that it was a 'zero-click' attack, meaning victims did not need to click on anything to infect their phones. WhatsApp did not disclose the locations of the individuals targeted.

WhatsApp has sent a legal notice

Paragon Solutions has been investigated for a $2 million contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to Wired, the contract was put on hold to ensure it complied with the Biden administration's rule, which prohibits the use of spyware. WhatsApp said it has sent Paragon a legal notice demanding it stop the alleged attacks. It also mentioned that the company blocked the spyware in December, although it is still unclear for how long users were at risk.

Paragon did not comment on the allegations, but the report cited a source close to the company as saying it only cooperates with democratic governments and does not sell to countries that have a history of spyware abuse. Such as Greece, Poland, Hungary and Mexico.

The name is Graphite.

Paragon's spyware is named Graphite. It is similar to Pegasus, the infamous hacking tool developed by NSO Group. Once installed, Graphite can access all the data on the target's phone, including encrypted messages on WhatsApp and Signal. Paragon was founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and was recently sold to US private equity firm AE Industrial Partners for $900 million, although the sale is still awaiting approval from Israeli regulators.

WhatsApp suspects that Paragon's spyware spread through malicious PDF files sent to users in group chats. The company is working with researchers from Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto to investigate the attack. The incident comes on the heels of WhatsApp's ongoing legal battle against NSO Group, in which a US judge recently ruled that NSO was responsible for hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019 and that it violated US hacking laws and WhatsApp's terms of service.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Dainik Jagran. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.