Exposed: ‘Israeli’ spyware firm accidentally shows hacking dashboard by mistake

• Accidental Exposure: A LinkedIn post by Paragon Solutions' general counsel inadvertently revealed the live interface of the Graphite spyware, exposing active interception logs, data extraction tools for encrypted apps (Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram), and a specific target identified as "Valentina" with a Czech phone number.
• Capabilities and Scrutiny: Despite the company’s "ethical" marketing, the leak confirmed Citizen Lab’s findings that Graphite enables full device compromise via zero-click exploits and has been used to target journalists and civil society members globally, including clients in the US.

Employees at ‘Israel's’ Paragon Solutions inadvertently disclosed the live interface of their Graphite spyware through a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.

The post, uploaded by the company's general counsel, featured a photograph from an internal event that captured a screen displaying the spyware's control panel.

Although the image was promptly removed, screenshots circulated widely on social media platforms.

The exposed interface revealed active interception operations, including logs marked as "completed" and detailed data extraction capabilities.

Notably, it displayed monitoring of a target identified as "Valentina," associated with a Czech phone number.

The panel showcased options for infiltrating encrypted messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, LINE, Snapchat, and TikTok, enabling operators to access communications before encryption or after decryption, as well as stored files, microphones, and cameras.

This demonstration underscored the spyware's use of zero-click exploits, which compromise devices without requiring user interaction.

Paragon Solutions, founded in 2019 by former ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Ehud Barak and ex-Unit 8200 commander Ehud Schneorson, specializes in developing advanced surveillance technologies for government clients.

The company was acquired for $900 million in 2024 by US-based private equity firm AE Industrial Partners, with Barak reportedly receiving between $10 million and $15 million from the deal.

Paragon claims itself as a provider of "ethical" spyware, saying it operates targeted and lawful applications, in contrast to competitors like NSO Group's Pegasus.

Graphite, Paragon's flagship product, is marketed exclusively to state agencies and is designed for precision intrusions.

It achieves device-level persistence, allowing comprehensive data harvesting from instant messaging apps and other sources.

Despite claims of a "light-touch" approach limited to specific applications, research from the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab has confirmed that Graphite enables full device compromise, extending to all stored data and real-time monitoring capabilities.

This leak occurs amid ongoing scrutiny of Paragon's operations.

In 2025, Meta notified approximately 90 users, including journalists and civil society members, of attempted hacks linked to Graphite.

Forensic evidence from Citizen Lab also confirmed its use against European journalists, such as Ciro Pellegrino and Francesco Cancellato in Italy, via zero-day exploits on up-to-date iPhones.

Governments in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, ‘Israel’, and Singapore have been identified as suspected clients, while US agencies like DHS and ICE hold contracts for the technology.