Key TakeawaysParagon Solutions targeted around 90 WhatsApp users, mainly journalists and civil society members across 20+ countries.WhatsApp successfully disrupted the attack and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon.Meta referred affected users to Citizen Lab Paragon Solutions and the FBI has not commented on the issue.On Jan 31, WhatsApp said that around 90 users were targeted in a spyware campaign by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli spyware company. These users mainly included journalists and civil society members in more than 20 countries, adding to the concerns about spyware misuse on the platform.WhatsApp was able to successfully disrupt this exploitation vector and took prompt action to salvage the situation as quickly as possible. It officially announced on Friday that it has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon following this hack.Additionally, the meta-owned company sent an immediate comment request to Paragon regarding this case but nothing has yet been heard from the company. Even the FBI has maintained silence on the matter till now.A spokesperson from WhatsApp said that a vector method was used to illegally access the data of a network or target users. In this campaign, the affected users received malicious PDFs in WhatsApp groups through their spyware Graphite.Whats scary about this spyware is that it works on a zero-click mechanism, meaning the users dont even have to interact with the malicious file or link. Just the entrance of the file into the device makes encrypted messages, calls, and other sensitive data available to be exploited at the hands of the hacker company.WhatsApp took Countermeasures by Informing Citizen LabWhile the location or people involved in this case have not been revealed as of now, Meta has referred affected users to the cyber security lab, Citizen Lab. A senior researcher from the lab said that the hack was so dangerous that it could turn a telephone into a spy in your pocket.A similar case to this one showed up in 2019 when WhatsApp sued the Israeli surveillance firm NSO group under an allegation of hacking thousands of accounts, including those of journalists, diplomats, politicians, and senior government officials.The chat service worked alongside Citizen Lab to sort out the situation the judgment was in favor of WhatsApp for that case. An intriguing string that follows into this case is that one of the competitors of that NSO group acquired Paragon Solutions in the same month that the US judgment was passed. So, theres enough reason to believe that the two incidents are liked.Natalia Krapiva, senior tech-legal counsel at the internet access nonprofit Access Now, said that the industry needs more proactive laws and reign in tech as there are not enough self-policing measures around.Last time WhatsApp notified NSO victims in 2019, we have seen a flood of lawsuits, sanctions, and other consequences for this industry. Natalia KrapivaItll be interesting to see what legal actions are taken against Paragon for interrupting the security of one of the most secure online chatting platforms.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Vlad is Tech Report's Executive Editor. With over a decade of experience in tech content, he's passionate about computer hardware, an advocate of online privacy, and strongly believes in the open-source, scarce-money nature of cryptocurrency.When hes not working, hes traveling with his partner and their cat, learning Python, or reading good books. He never owned a PC he did not build. View all articles by Vlad Melnic Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.