WhatsApp says its users targeted by Israeli spyware company Paragon

An official from Meta's popular messaging service, WhatsApp, stated that Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions targeted 90 of its users, including journalists and members of civil society. The official disclosed to Reuters on Friday that WhatsApp had issued a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon following the hacking incident.

The official declined to specify who exactly was targeted, but confirmed that WhatsApp is forwarding victim information to the Canadian internet watchdog group, Citizen Lab. He also did not elaborate on how WhatsApp determined Paragon was responsible for the breach, stating only that law enforcement and industry partners have been notified, without providing details.

In a statement, WhatsApp said that the company "will continue to protect people's ability to communicate privately." WhatsApp also told the UK's Guardian newspaper that it is "highly confident" that relevant users were targeted and "likely compromised." Paragon declined to comment. Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton told Reuters that the discovery of Paragon spyware targeting WhatsApp users "reminds us that the mercenary spyware continues to proliferate, and as it proliferates, we continue to see familiar patterns of abuse."

Paragon sells high-end surveillance software to government clients, often promoting its services as necessary tools to combat crime and protect national security. Similar spy tools—which can remotely access mobile devices without the victim's knowledge—have been found on the phones of journalists, activists, and at least 50 U.S. officials, raising concerns about the unchecked proliferation of spyware technology. In recent years, multiple reports have found that Israeli-made Pegasus spyware has been used by governments around the world to surveil activists, journalists, and even heads of state.

Paragon, reportedly co-founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, was sold to US private equity firm AE Industrial Partners for $900 million in 2024. The company’s website promotes "ethically-based tools, teams and insights to disrupt intractable threats." Natalia Krapiva, a senior tech legal counsel at advocacy group Access Now, said that Paragon has been considered a more responsible spyware company, "but WhatsApp's recent disclosures suggest that this is not the case." She told Reuters, "This is not just a matter of a few bad apples – these types of abuses [are] a feature of the commercial spyware industry." Reuters said that AE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.