WhatsApp accuses "Israeli" spyware firm of targeting users

A senior official at WhatsApp, the popular messaging service owned by Meta, stated that an "Israeli" spyware company, Paragon Solutions, targeted dozens of users, including journalists and members of civil society, Reuters reported.

The official said on Friday that WhatsApp sent a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon Solutions after detecting the breach.

In a statement, WhatsApp affirmed that it "will continue to protect people's ability to communicate privately."

Speaking to Reuters, the official confirmed that the platform identified an attempt to hack around 90 users but did not disclose their identities or locations. However, he noted that the targets included an unspecified number of journalists and civil society members.

He added that WhatsApp successfully thwarted the hacking attempt and referred the victims to Citizen Lab, a Canadian internet watchdog organization.

The official declined to specify how WhatsApp determined the company’s involvement in the attack but confirmed that law enforcement agencies and industry partners had been notified without providing further details.