Campinas, SP (UOL/Folhapress) – At least 90 journalists and members of civil society were targets of a spy program created by an Israeli technology company, installed on mobile phones after use of WhatsApp. The information was confirmed by the goal, owner of the messaging application, to the British newspaper The Guardian.
Cellular invasion would have happened through the Graphite application. Once on the device, spyware has full access, including messages from encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal. Responsible for the creation of the application is the Israeli Company of Technology Paragon Solutions.
Attack was a zero-click, that is, the targets did not need to click on malicious links. WhatsApp confirmed that the devices of 90 users were compromised or at risk, but could not identify which governments requested the attack.
Paragon has not been directly pointed out as responsible, but espionage software is used by government clients, including the US Immigration and Customs Department. The Guardian information points out that the company recently received a $ 2 million contract with the internal security investigations division, but has been suspended to verify compliance with Biden government executive orders on spyware use.
Sale of the company to a private capital company from the United States awaits Israeli authorization. The company is also under investigation for potential abuse related to spyware use.
WhatsApp has sent a letter of “ceasing and giving up” (an official communication that actions are illegal) to Paragon and is evaluating judicial measures. The attack was interrupted in December, but it is not known how long the targets were at risk.
Meta claims that it is notifying all users who have been affected. Company says whatsapp will continue to protect users’ privacy.
