WhatsApp Thwarts Paragon Spyware Attack Targeting Journalists and Civil Society
WhatsApp stopped a Paragon spyware attack on journalists and civil society, revealing the threat of commercial spyware.
Matilda
WhatsApp Thwarts Paragon Spyware Attack Targeting Journalists and Civil Society
In a significant development highlighting the ongoing struggle against invasive surveillance technologies, WhatsApp has revealed its successful disruption of a sophisticated hacking campaign orchestrated by Paragon, an Israeli spyware developer. This campaign specifically targeted approximately 90 individuals, including journalists and members of civil society, raising serious concerns about the misuse of spyware against vulnerable groups. This incident underscores the persistent threat posed by the commercial spyware industry and the urgent need for greater accountability and regulation. The Anatomy of the Attack: WhatsApp's investigation revealed that the hacking campaign leveraged malicious PDF files disseminated through WhatsApp groups. Unsuspecting targets who opened these infected PDFs inadvertently compromised their devices, allowing the attackers to gain unauthorized access and potentially exfiltrate sensitive information. The attack vector, using seemingly innocuous file…
