90 WhatsApp users, journalists and members of civil society, were targeted by a “zero-click” attack — the victims did not have to click on a malicious link or file to be infected. In this case, it was a PDF file present in group discussions in which the targets were added.
Paragon in the dock
According to the messaging service, the infection technology used comes from Paragon, an Israeli company that developed the Graphite malware, equivalent to the famous Pegasus that appeared a few years ago, and which continues to make headlines — including in WhatsApp, by the way.
As soon as the smartphone is infected with Graphite, the operator of the spyware has full access to the device. Including the ability to read messages sent via end-to-end encrypted messaging services, such as WhatsApp or Signal.
“WhatsApp has shut down a spyware campaign by Paragon,” Meta’s messaging service told the Guardian. “We have contacted directly those we believe to have been affected. This is the latest example of why spyware companies must be held accountable for their illegal actions.”
While Paragon is indeed the author of the malware, the sponsor is unknown. This type of software is typically used by government agencies. The company is believed to have around 30 client states, all of which can be considered democratic. Paragon, however, would not work for countries, including democratic ones, accused of using spyware, such as Greece, Poland, Hungary, Mexico or India.
Paragon was founded by Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister, and is about to be bought by an American fund for just under a billion dollars. The company had a reputation for not being involved in the same shady stories as its rival NSO. But we can clearly see that in reality, all these people are to be put in the same bag.
Source: The Guardian
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